


The Beast Within

by felicityollies



Series: The Beast Within [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Minor Character Death, Romantic Soulmates, Strangers to Lovers, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2018-11-10 08:16:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 49,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11123319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/felicityollies/pseuds/felicityollies
Summary: When Oliver’s boat went down in the North China Sea, he had no idea how much his life was going to change. He never had a choice in anything that happened to him. Never had a choice in what he became; a monster with blood soaked teeth. When a woman crosses his path by chance, he can’t help but find her completelyintoxicating. There’s just something about her, but it’s a fleeting moment and he knows he must let go. He’ll never see her again, anyway. There’s no chance for someone like him to even consider letting something so beautiful enter his life. But Oliver is going to learn that sometimes fate can be a fickle bitch.





	1. The Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is! My fic for olicity fic bang! I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to do this AU and I’m so excited for everyone to read it. I had so much fun writing it and I hope it shows. Thank you so much to Sim/the-silverforked-sky for being an amazing and patient beta. I really enjoy working with you. Also thank you to Sara/gothsmoak for creating the beautiful cover for this story. I’m in love with it.
> 
> Oh and thank you to everyone who already got hyped about this. Your excitement got me through the nerves. ♥

Oliver sighed heavily as he leaned over a large desk. He was back in Starling City for the first time in three years. Back home. He knew he needed to pay attention to the instructions Maseo was giving him through his earpiece, that he needed to move quickly and grab what he was sent in there for. But he didn’t want to do this anymore; he wanted to see his family again. Being in his mother’s office where she still kept pictures of him and his father, of his sister, whom he missed dearly, made his heart ache. He missed Thea, even more knowing how much she was struggling without him. Everything was shit and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. He held in a frustrated growl.

“There should be a print scanner,” the voice in the earpiece said.

“Why would I still be in the directory?” Oliver muttered.

Without missing a beat Maseo responded, “Why would they take you out? You’re dead.”

Fair point.

His thumbprint unlocked the computer, he plugged in the drive and waited for the ninety second download. Something on the screen caught his eye. A file addressed to him and Thea among his father’s files. It was going to take longer to download, but he just couldn’t ignore it. A quick search in the desk found him a blank usb drive. He shoved it into the computer just as the other download was finishing.

“You need to get out of there.”

Oliver growled, “I’m not finished yet.”

He whipped his head to the side when he heard footsteps; he had at least a minute.

“Someone’s coming.”

He rolled his eyes, “I know.”

Without much effort, he zipped out of the office. It was a quick and fluid motion, almost graceful. As he pressed himself up against a wall, a sweet smell filled his nose. Lavender mixed with coconuts, but there was something underneath that was simply intoxicating. His ear twitched at the sound of heels clicking on the floor and the subtle sound of fabric moving as whoever it was sashayed through the office. The smells and the sounds told him that it was a woman.

His suspicions were confirmed when she spoke, “You’re cute.”

It was a mere whisper, but to him her words were as clear as if she was standing right beside him. He wondered who she was talking to, though. There hadn’t been another person with her, but maybe she’d seen him? He peeked around the corner to take a look. His eyesight was just as strong as his hearing and sense of smell. From where he hid he could see that a young woman, petite and blonde, was leaning over his mother’s desk. Her eyes were on the picture of him and his father. She was very cute, in an almost nerdy and innocent way; she wore glasses and had the poutiest pink lips. Pair those with the short skirt and sensible blouse, well it was hard to call her anything but cute.

“It’s too bad you’re you know… dead,” she sighed.

He cracked a genuine smile as he watched and listened to her. She was something else. This woman, standing there talking to herself, about him of all things. She seemed so vibrant, so quirky. Her voice was sweet like honey, soothing and warm. There was something about her, something soft in her appearance and the way she acted. She drew him in, in a way that he wasn’t familiar with. He had to stop himself from reaching out to her. When he looked at her, he didn’t see a threat. He didn’t see a target or someone that could hurt him. She was just a person. He hadn’t viewed anyone that way in a very long time. If someone wasn’t on his radar as a threat or target, then he didn’t pay them any mind at all. This woman was different, she was interesting.

“Obviously that’s a lot worse for you than it is for me…” she stood tall again, “But still cute….”

She bit her lip, making Oliver swallow hard. The simple act was more than a little attractive. He didn’t know how someone could be so adorable and then suddenly almost sexy, just by tugging her plump lip in between her teeth.

“I should really learn to stop talking to myself,” the beautiful woman gave a frustrated groan as she left the office.

He wondered what she was even doing there so late, but he was glad that she had come by. Part of him wanted to chase after her. A low frustrated growl formed deep in his chest; he wanted to follow that scent to the end of the earth and back. The farther away she got, the fainter her scent became. It was hard to keep himself from doing exactly what he wanted, but the ping of the computer finishing it’s download finally brought him back to reality. He grabbed the usb drive and booked it out of the building.

To his dismay, he found himself sitting in a car across from Amanda Waller.

“You did well, Mr. Queen,” she said in that same icy tone she always used.

“Mhmm,” he scratched his head and sighed.

“Oh I do hope that you didn’t pick up fleas while you were out.”

He glared at her, but gritted his teeth to keep his mouth shut. Amanda wasn’t above shooting him, he knew this from experience, and he wasn’t in the mood to test the waters that day. His mind was still on that woman anyway. It wasn’t just her scent that intrigued him, but her whole being. She seemed so light… and adorable. He knew he could never have someone like that in his life. There was too much darkness and death that surrounded him. He was a monster. A beast that would only destroy something so beautiful. Shaking his head, he did away with those thoughts.

There was no point in dwelling on something he couldn’t even pursue. Something that could never be. There was no telling what his future held, not when he had Argus breathing down his neck. Deep down he thought it was nice to be home. He missed his family so much, but if they knew what became of him when he washed up on the shores of purgatory, they would never look at him the same way again. Some days he could hardly look at his own reflection. All he saw was something else staring back at him.

In the end it was the usb drive in his pocket that would decide his fate. A message from his father, a plea for him to atone for Robert’s sins; to take a list and clean up the city. It took him two more years before he found his way back home. Two years of harnessing his darkness and learning control.

* * *

Oliver stood in his hospital room, looking out at the city. His city. He ran his hand down his face, over his stubble, as he sighed. The sound of his mother’s heels and the scent of her perfume hit him before she was near the door. He had more control of himself, but that didn’t mean much when emotions were high. It had been so long since he had actually seen his mother. A golden yellow color bled into his blue eyes. He grimaced at the sight of his reflection. Those eyes staring back at him. The door opened and he turned his head away from the glass, closing his eyes until he knew he was okay to turn around.

“Oliver… my beautiful boy,” Moira’s voice cracked.

He finally turned to face her. She walked to him, hesitantly. But when he opened his arms for her, she practically flung herself at him. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a deep hug that only a mother could give. He hugged her back, resting his cheek on top of her head.

“I missed you so much,” she whispered, “There was not a day that went by that I didn’t think about you.”

He could sense something underneath her sadness and longing. Guilt maybe? He wasn’t sure, but it made him slightly wary. Oliver didn’t want to be wary of his own mother. He didn’t want to view her as a possible threat, but he couldn’t stop it. The last five years had been spent honing his instincts, learning to use them to survive. He hadn’t been able to trust anyone he came into contact with. Now that he was home, he had no idea how to turn that part of him off. Sucking in a breath, he ignored the feeling as best as he could.

She took him home where Thea and Tommy were waiting for them. His heart leapt at the sight of them, he’d missed them both so much. Thea threw herself into his arms as soon as she saw him. She seemed so much older than the last time he saw her, but still so small. He hugged her tightly, protectively, even though he was the thing he wanted to protect her from most of all. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt his baby sister. Tommy slipped in before he could even move to give him an equally tight hug. Though grateful for the affection, he felt overwhelmed by the attention, it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Alert, almost scared. He buried the feelings, not wanting anyone to know. There was no reason to alarm his family.

As the night wore on, and his senses were overloaded, it became more difficult to maintain his poker face. It was a sensory overload. Too many people, too much new information to take in, and it was putting him over the edge. He’d spent so much time alone, it was nearly impossible to handle this much all at once. His mother had married Walter Steele, his father’s best friend of all people. If that wasn’t overwhelming enough, Tommy’s father made an appearance at dinner, making him feel even more uneasy. There had always been something about Malcolm Merlyn that he didn’t like. The man had abandoned his own son, when he needed him the most, and then returned an even more terrible person than he was before. Now sitting across the table from him, through the rich and heavy smell of dinner that Malcolm hadn't touched, the older man stunk of death.

To make matters worse, he almost exposed himself. A few hours at home and he was already failing. Raisa, the woman that had pretty much raised him, tripped on the way to the dining room. Without thinking, he was up and out of his chair with such quick fluidity that wasn't easily explained away. He caught Raisa as well as the tray she was holding. The room fell silent; everyone stared at him. He cleared his throat, standing tall after righting the housekeeper.

“What the hell was that?” Thea asked.

He gave her a look as if he didn’t know what she was talking about.

“That was fast,” she muttered.

He shrugged, “Have to learn to be fast on an Island.”

She swallowed and looked away from him, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, Speedy,” he mumbled. “I think I’m going to turn in for the night,” he turned to his mother.

She gave him a nod.

“Good night everyone.”

He could feel their eyes as he left the room. Hear their whispers even as he hit the stairs. They were worried about him. At least his mother, Thea, and Tommy were. Walter seemed to be withholding any comments, which he appreciated. He couldn’t say the same for Malcolm. There was no telling what that man actually wanted. All Oliver knew was that he was suspicious as hell.

When he walked into his room, locking the door behind him, he let out a sigh of relief. Quiet at last. He took a moment to actually look at his room. Everything was exactly the same. Just as he had left it. Letting out a shaky breath, he forced himself into the bathroom to take a shower. He washed away the day, let the scalding hot water beat down on him. It was too hot; hot enough to make his skin red and angry, but it had been so long since he’d had a real shower, he was going to enjoy every single moment.

He stayed under the water until it began to run cold. Wrapped in a towel he stepped into his room again and met his own gaze in the mirror across the room. The last time he stood in front of this mirror, he had been so much younger, so naive. He had been checking last looks before heading off to screw around on a boat instead of staying in school or committing to his girlfriend. Now he stood there, the boy, he once was, gone. Innocence lost. His body covered in scars that would never heal. He could heal from a lot, but silver always left a mark.

Most of the night was spent avoiding sleep until exhaustion finally overtook him. Whimpers and growls tore from his throat as he tossed and turned in his bed. He whined and clawed at his sheets. Nightmares had been a common thing for him since the boat accident. They only grew worse with his time away, both on and off the island. The things he went through plagued him at night, pulling him further into darkness.

“Oliver!” his mother’s voice cut through the nightmare.

He shot up in bed, chest moving up and down with heavy breaths. His hands and teeth had partially shifted into sharp claws and canines. He could see in the mirror that his eyes were glowing yellow.

“Oliver,” Moira called from the other side of his door.

He closed his eyes, pressing his hands to his face, trying to calm down enough to shift all the way back. With a soft grunt, everything went back to normal. It wasn’t often that he lost it like that, anymore, but the night had been such a strain on him. The nightmares worse than usual. In his sleep he was at his most vulnerable, unable to stop himself from changing. At least after five years, it didn’t hurt anymore.

As soon as he was sure he was okay, he pushed himself off the bed and moved to the door. Swinging it open, his mother flung herself into his arms for a tight hug. He swallowed thickly, hugging back.

“Oliver,” she reached up to cup his cheeks, feeling how sweaty and clammy he was, “You’re home. You’re safe.”

He closed his eyes and let her try to comfort him. Fear radiated off of her. He could smell it, feel it deep in his chest. And he hated that he was the cause of it. Part of him was really wondering why he was there. He could have come home and stayed hidden away from those that he loved.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“It’s all right… I just heard you and needed to be sure you were okay,” she pulled him down a little so that she could kiss his forehead.

* * *

Oliver didn’t spend many nights at home after that. Not that he had planned to anyway. He had an important task at hand, one that could only be done under the cover of darkness. With a hood on his head and a bow in his hand he stepped into the night to bring the people on his father’s list to justice. He could have easily used his own hands, his claws, to do the job but he refused to rely on the animal inside of him. Taking care of the list was something that he needed to do. He needed to fulfill his father’s request, but when he was done with the list he was going to hang up his hood. If he survived that long, that is. He was a werewolf, but that didn’t mean he was under the illusion that he couldn’t die. Nor did he care if he actually did get killed on the streets.

Things were going well. The police barely had information on the man they were calling The Hood. He had taken care of a few names on the list; they were terrible people, so he had no qualms with taking them out. His increased strength added to the deadliness of his blows when he engaged in hand to hand combat. He also used that strength to increase the force behind his bow and arrow. The people he was targeting were well known, so their deaths didn't go unnoticed. He tried to give them a chance to right their wrongs, but if they didn’t, he took care of them. Both his stubborn targets and security guards that were stupid enough to get in his way met the same fate. Yes, things were going as he’d expected, until a very stupid group of men kidnapped him and Tommy off the streets.

Everyone made it out okay, well he and Tommy made it out okay…. the men were found with their throats ripped out. He couldn’t stop himself; he was so angry that these men had tried to harm someone he loved. When strong emotions came into play, it was difficult to keep control. He tried his damnedest, but he’d fucked up. And then he’d made it worse by placing the blame on “a blurry figure but it looked like he was wearing a green hood.” A spotlight was about to be shined on him. He had already taken a chance with him and the Hood showing up in town at the same time, and now he’d associated the vigilante with animal-like killing. The SCPD would get more suspicious. He had to be more careful or they were going to have more on him than a simple police sketch.

His mother worried about him. She couldn’t stand the thought of losing him again, which resulted in her hiring a bodyguard to keep an eye on Oliver. Obviously, he didn’t need a bodyguard, but Moira wouldn’t listen.

Didn’t matter. He was an expert at evading people.

At least everyone, except for his mother. On top of insisting on a bodyguard, she requested his presence at Queen Consolidated. Now that he was back, he apparently needed to learn the ins and outs of the company. It had always been his parents’ hope that he would take over the company. He didn’t want to. In fact he and Tommy had discussed opening a club; a club that would be built above his hideout. It was the perfect cover.

“You’re going to do just fine,” Moira said, linking her arm with his.

They stepped off the elevator together. His eyes moved over the people in the corridor, taking in everyone, searching for threats. He paused for a moment when his gaze fell on a blonde woman. She looked familiar. Almost like the woman he had seen two years prior. But she wasn’t. His nose knew it wasn’t her.

“Hi,” she gave a gentle wave.

He gave his best charming smile and nodded. His thoughts hadn’t wandered to that girl in a long time. He’d told himself then to let go and that’s what he’d done. But he knew deep down that there was still some curiosity. A chance encounter, that wasn’t even really an encounter, left without closure. It was stupid.

The first few days he spent at QC weren’t very productive. He went to meetings with Moira and listened to her talk about the company. His mind continuously wandered to his night activities and the girl that smelled like lavender and coconuts. Back and forth and back and forth again. On the fourth day, he strayed away from Moira.

“I haven’t been here in so long,” he said, “Might as well get reacquainted.”

The only problem was that his bodyguard, John Diggle, was accompanying him.

“You don’t have to follow me,” Oliver said, leaning against the elevator wall.

“It’s my job, sir.”

He sighed, “What if I told you to go take a break and get a coffee?”

“Not to be rude, sir,” John spoke again, “But I answer to your mother.”

Oliver scowled. He was going to have to try hard to lose John again. It took a lot of waiting. The elevator filling and emptying over and over again until he was able to slip out with a large group. John wasn’t stupid, he was out of the elevator only a moment or two later, but Oliver was already ducking into the stairwell. He could hear Diggle swearing under his breath. With a smirk on his lips, he wandered down to the floor below.

He sniffed the air. Something sweet was wafting up from somewhere even further below. Among all the smells in the building he was able to pick out this one. Could it be her? Did she still work here? He followed his nose down three more flights of stairs. Through a door, he entered a hallway that led to rooms full of cubicles. The IT department. The scent was getting stronger. He felt an excitement grow inside of him. It made his heart beat a little faster and his eyes flicker yellow for just a second.

This feeling was so ridiculous. He knew it. But he couldn’t stop himself from being intrigued by her. He stopped in front of a door, knowing she was behind it. Carefully, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. In a cubicle, behind a desk, she sat turned away from him. Now that he was actually there… he had no idea what he was going to do.

She turned, a red pen settled between her perfectly plump pink lips. The blonde gave a start when she noticed him standing there. He could hear her heart rate pick up. She pulled the pen out of her mouth and set it aside.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, “Uh I’m sorry did you need something, Mr. Queen,” she squeaked out his name.

“Please, call me Oliver,” he said, flashing a toothy grin.

“Oliver,” she repeated, “Uh, Felicity… Smoak,” she held out her hand to him.

Nodding he repeated her name, letting it roll off his tongue so nicely. He took her hand, shaking gently. Her hand was so much smaller and cold too. Then again, his body temperature was substantially higher because of what he was. He held her hand a fraction of a second longer than normal. She was just so soft and delicate. Her cheeks burned a bright pink. He could see her becoming flustered as she pulled her hand back.

“So, back to my original question, Oliver… is there something I can do for you?”

He tried to come up with a lie, but he had always been terrible at it, “I was just… getting reacquainted with the building and the people,” he shrugged his shoulders. If that lie worked on his mom it should work on her too.

She looked at him skeptically. Her eyes moved over his face as if she were trying to figure him out. She seemed to see right through him and for a moment he was actually a little nervous. He knew it was a shit lie. There was no reason for him to be in her office of all places.

“Well,” she finally spoke again.

He held in a sigh of relief.

“You were gone for awhile. I mean not gone, everyone thought you were dead, but you’re not. You survived, obviously because you’re standing right in front of me….listening to me babble,” she pressed her lips together and looked away from him for a couple seconds.

She was so cute he couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

“I wish I could say I’m not always like this,” she sighed.

If he was being honest, she was a nice change of pace. Everyone acted so different around him now. Like they were afraid to do or say something wrong. She still held some of that worry, but her lack of filter was refreshing.

“It’s alright,” he said.

He realized he now had no reason to be standing around there. It was disappointing to say the least, but he didn’t want to keep taking up her time and looking like a weirdo. His ear twitched slightly. John was on his way down the hall. Well, it was as good a time as any to get caught.

“There you are,” Diggle said.

“Here I am,” Oliver smirked, turning to the older man.

They started to exit the office, but he paused to look at Felicity once more. “Nice meeting you, Ms. Smoak,” he said with a wink, laying the charm on thick.

“Nice to meet you too,” she waved.

The door closed behind them and they walked to the elevator. Before they even hit the metal doors, he had decided he needed to find another excuse to see Felicity and soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please please let me know what you think!
> 
> tumblr: felicityollies  
> twitter: gothlicitys
> 
> Next chapter to be posted: Wednesday June 14th


	2. The Truth Please

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y’all are ready for this ;)

Felicity sat behind her desk, where she always was. It didn’t really bother her that she practically lived at work and didn’t have any semblance of a social life. Yeah, it was kind of boring and lonely, but it wasn’t that bad. She was even considering getting a cat. Ugh, she was barely twenty-one and she was already planning how lonely her future would be. She deflated, sinking lower into her chair.

The door to her office opened, but she didn’t hear it. Her attention was completely on her computer and her multiple tabs. So, she wasn’t supposed to be using work hours to look at cats in the shelter, but she wasn’t really in the mood to fix the messes of several dumbasses upstairs. They were always downloading things they shouldn’t or accidentally deleting important files.

“Find the files, Felicity. Don’t look at them, they’re top secret QC property. Then why did you lose them in the first place Mr. Simmons?”

“Do I need to have a talk with someone upstairs?”

Felicity yelped loudly and pushed back from her desk. Her eyes moved up to see Oliver, looking at her with a very amused expression. “N-no,” she stammered, “I wasn’t complaining. I mean I was, but I shouldn’t have been.”

“It’s alright,” he held up his hand to stop her from talking, “If people are losing important files, I probably should know about it. But that’s not what I’m here for.”

He held up a very battered looking laptop.

Her brows went up, “Um…”

“I asked around and was told that you’re the best person to talk to.”

“What a coincidence,” she muttered.

He nodded, “Can you get any information off of this?”

She took the computer from him, slowly opening it and eyeballing the poor mistreated machine. It wasn’t just broken, it was beat to hell, and riddled with bullets. There might have also been a claw mark across the screen, but she wasn’t quite sure. She’d never seen anything like it.

“What did you do to it?” she asked without looking up.

He cleared his throat, “Spilled a latte on it.”

She whipped her head up, hoping that he was joking. Nope. He was lying right to her face. “Really?” she asked, “Because it looks like it got in a fight with a gun and a dog… and lost.”

“Dog?” he quirked a brow at her.

“Mhmm,” she pointed out the markings on the screen.

He cleared his throat, “My coffee shop is in a bad neighborhood.”

“Clearly,” she muttered.

“So, can you get anything off of it?”

She let out a soft puff of air, “Yeah, I can. It’s just going to take a few minutes. You can have a seat if you want to wait.”

He inched around her desk, pulling out the closest chair to her and sitting down, while she tugged out a cord to hook the computer up to her desktop. She could feel how close he was. His body radiated warmth. He leaned in closer than she would consider normal, watching her as she attempted to get information off the dead laptop. Her heart pounded a little quicker, but she tried not to let it show. Oliver was an attractive man, which didn’t help the situation. He seemed to ooze raw sexuality, it made her skin prickle.

“Am I bothering you?” he asked.

She whipped her head to the side, looking up at him. “What? No… why would you think that?”

He shrugged his shoulders.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, “Alright…”

Her computer dinged, forcing her attention away from him. Oliver Queen was… interesting. She didn’t know how else to put it. First of all, he was stealthy. How many times was he going to sneak into her office without her knowledge? He was also charming, but not in the super obvious flirtatious kind of way that the other woman at QC talked about; he had an innate and sincere charm. Of course, people change and he’d gone through hell, at least that’s what she assumed. How could five years on a deserted island not be hellish? Either way it wasn’t her business. She just thought that everything surrounding this man seemed rather interesting.

There was something else about him that she couldn't put her finger on. Whatever, it wasn’t important. She typed in a few commands quickly and the data finally started appearing on her screen. Oliver leaned in closer again, his arm brushed against hers making her shiver.

“Sorry,” he whispered.

“It’s alright,” she mumbled, “Um… it looks like there’s a lot of information here. You want me to put it on a USB drive?”

“Mhmm,” he pulled back.

She compiled everything she found onto one USB drive. He stood, walking around her desk again.

“I’m not even going to ask why you wanted all of this from a computer that’s not even yours,” she muttered, handing both the USB drive and the bullet riddled laptop to him.

He frowned, but took them.

“I can see who it belongs to,” she sighed, “I know I don’t know you… at all… but be careful.”

He nodded, “Thanks, Ms. Smoak.”

“You can call me Felicity… not that I expect to see you down here again,” she laughed awkwardly.

He smiled anyway, probably out of politeness, “Thanks, Felicity.”

* * *

After meeting with Felicity, Oliver had to force himself to do something that he had been avoiding since he returned home. He had to go see Laurel; he owed her an apology for everything, though it would never be enough. It was difficult to face her. After all the things he had done to her, he didn’t know if he deserved to have the chance to apologize to her, but he was going to try. It was the right thing to do.

He walked to CNRI, giving himself some more time to think. The walk still seemed to go by too quickly. He arrived at the building and stepped inside. Quietly, he asked for Laurel and requested that she meet him outside. He half expected for her to completely ignore him and for the woman at the front desk to come back out to tell him to leave.

That didn’t happen.

“I was wondering when you were going to show your face,” Laurel said, stepping outside.

She was angry. As she had every right to be.

He turned to face her. She looked just as he remembered her. Beautiful, but there was something else there. He could see the stress on her face and the anger and sadness in her eyes. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest, but there was no fear.

“I wanted to apologize,” he said honestly.

She scoffed at that, crossing her arms in a defensive position, as she waited for him to continue.

“I was an idiot…. running away from everything, from school, and you,” he took a step closer to her, “I used your sister… I used Sara to sabotage our relationship and it costed her life, for that I am sorry.”

It was a few moments before she spoke again. The silence between them was almost deafening. The noises around them, the street sounds and people, that didn’t matter. Waiting for her to speak was torture.

“Is there any chance that she’s alive?” Laurel asked.

He let out a slow, shaky breath and shook his head, “No.”

“Did she suffer?” her voice cracked.

“No,” he repeated.

He wasn’t going to tell her what happened. There was no reason to put those details into her head. He watched her face, feeling his heart sink. Guilt gnawed at him. He almost couldn’t believe that she was holding onto some kind of hope that Sara was still alive. But she had been and now he had crushed that hope. He hated to do that to someone he cared for as much as Laurel. She was important to him, just as Sara was. What he did to both of them was deplorable and he would have to live with it for the rest of his life.

“I need to get back to work,” Laurel said softly, her voice wavering.

He nodded, “I understand.”

Without another word, she disappeared back inside of the building. As the door closed, he thought he heard a quiet sob from her. Oliver stood there awkwardly for another minute or so. His hands in his pockets, shuffling his feet. He hadn’t expected her to forgive him, but now he wasn’t sure what to do.

Sighing, he left CNRI and headed towards his home base. If anything was going to help get his mind off of both Felicity and Laurel, it was going to be getting ready to head out for the night.

* * *

It was another long and boring day. Felicity leaned her head back, her red pen sitting between her nose and her upper lip. She found her thoughts drifting to her frequent visitor these past few months. She had been surprised to find Oliver in her office again and again. He continuously asked her to do strange things. From identifying “energy drinks” in syringes to the simple task of internet researching. The latter was something he could have done on his own, so why he came to her she didn’t know. She wasn’t complaining. Not really. His visits were such a change from her usual routine. A routine that had, if she were being honest, gotten a little boring. Her job wasn’t exciting to begin with, but she had chosen this life, with the safe job in her area of expertise at an amazing company. There were times when she felt very underappreciated, but at least she had money for food and bills.

With a sigh, she rolled her shoulders and moved her head from side to side to relieve some of the stiffness caused by sitting at her desk all day and most of the night. She worked late a lot. There was nothing waiting for her at home anyway, just an empty bed and a pint of ice cream. Most days she didn’t mind being single, but sometimes the loneliness was crushing.

A howl from somewhere in Starling City shattered the silence in her office. She jumped a little at the sound. The other night while she was getting ready for bed, she heard the same thing. That time it had seemed so close. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say that there was a wolf in the city. She kept telling herself that it was silly, but… she really did have some suspicions.

“Felicity, you are a scientist not a paranoid and suspicious person,” she muttered to herself.

It was another hour before she finally left her office. The city was dark, as dark as it can be in a city that is. Even darker inside the nearly empty parking garage. She hated leaving this late, it was always so creepy. She knew there were security guards and cameras, but did she trust them? Not really.

She got into her mini cooper, but fumbled with her keys when she heard a deep growling in her backseat.

“Oh god, I knew the security around here sucked,” she squeaked.

A ragged breath came from whoever was behind her, “I’m not going to hurt you, Felicity,” the voice was deep and that much more startling.

“How do you know my name?” she turned around to look at the intruder; her eyes went wide at the sight of the leather clad vigilante.

“Because you... know mine,” he breathed out.

With the flip of his green hood his face was revealed. Oliver looked up at her, but his deep blue eyes were shining yellow. His face dripping with sweat, blood smeared across his temple as if he had wiped his hand across it.

“Oliver…. oh wow…” her heart pounded in her chest as her brain connected the dots, “This explains a lot… but now I have about thirty new questions.”

He huffed out another breath, pressing his hand to his shoulder. She finally noticed where the blood on his hands was coming from.

“Oh you’re bleeding,” she whispered.

“I don’t need to be told that,” he growled, “You have to take me to my father’s old factory, in the Glades.”

“But you need a hospital,” she started to say.

“No,” he snapped, “The factory, Felicity, now!”

She snapped her mouth shut and turned around to find her keys. Shoving them into the ignition, she got the car started, zipping out of the garage as fast as she could. In her rearview mirror she could see him losing consciousness.

“Shit,” she muttered under her breath.

Felicity had been suspicious of Oliver since about the second time he came to see her with a weird request, but to have it actually confirmed was something else entirely. She’d taken an interest in the vigilante before he even came to her office. There wasn’t really a way to not be interested in the man that was running around Starling City with a bow and arrow. He was taking care of some of the worst people in the city. Maybe a bit harshly, but no one else seemed to care about the city she called home.

As for the glowing eyes and growls…. she didn’t even want to say what she was thinking out loud, it sounded so stupid.

He was out like a light in the backseat, but every couple minutes he made some kind of noise. Whether that was a human sounding groan of pain or something that sounded like a dog’s whimper, it made a chill run down her spine. With every noise, she pressed harder on the gas, fearing that he may die in her backseat if she didn’t get him to the factory soon.

She arrived at the factory, pulling up to the building and parking. As quickly as she could, she got to the back seat. She tried her best to drag his heavy body out of her car, but it only got her covered in his blood. She was trembling, slick fingers gripping onto a metal door, yanking it open the best she could. She found her way downstairs, only to be met with the barrel of a gun.

“I need help,” she said to his bodyguard, John Diggle who’d accompanied Oliver on a couple of his visits to her, “He’s hurt and he’s really heavy.”

They both got him onto a metal table. John tore open Oliver’s jacket and pulled it aside. She watched him carefully, still shaking with fear.

“Shit,” Diggle muttered, “I need you to get a few things for me,” he pointed to a drawer.

She pulled out what looked like a pair of tweezers, gauze, and a little metal bowl.

“He should be shifting.”

She swallowed thickly, “Shifting?” in the back of her mind she knew what he was talking about, but the scientific side of her brain was screaming.

“Yeah,” he said, but didn’t explain further.

Just as John was about to take the tweezer things to Oliver’s bullet wound, Oliver’s body started to convulse on the table.

“It must be silver... that's the only explanation for why he's reacting like this,” he shook his head, “I’m going to hold him down, I need you to dig out the bullet.”

“I’m just an IT girl, not a d-doctor,” she stammered.

“He’s going to die,” John snapped.

She scrambled forward and swallowed back the nausea. With the tool, she dug into the bullet wound. She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth, swallowing again as blood oozed around her fingers.

“It’s so deep,” she whined.

It was especially hard to get it out with Oliver still moving under John’s grasp, but she was trying. Finally, she gripped onto the little bullet and tugged it out of his shoulder. She dropped it into the bowl and pressed the gauze to his wound. His chest moved up and down with heavy breaths, but he seemed to calm down almost immediately.

John let out a sigh of relief, “There’s nothing we can do now, but let him rest.”

“W-wait,” she said, “Shouldn’t we be closing up the wound.”

He shook his head, “He’ll be fine.” 

She didn’t really believe him, but she pulled back anyway. It was strange to see Oliver this way. She was used to seeing the charming guy that always wandered into her office. Now he lay on a table, unconscious, and so vulnerable. She reached out and touched his arm gently as his breathing became steady. There was so much more to him than she ever could have thought; and she wanted to know everything.

“So he’s a…” she said, sitting down in a chair.

“Werewolf,” he sighed, “You’re not freaking out… about any of this.”

“The vigilante part… that was easy. I’m not stupid and some of those lies he dropped on me were fairly ridiculous.”

John gave a soft laugh, “I told him that too.”

“The wolf thing…” she continued, “I didn’t want to believe it. I’ve been tracking the vigilante’s movements for a while… I thought he was interesting,” she shrugged, “And I noticed a lot of his work goes along with the lunar cycle. He doesn’t act on the full moon or the two days prior or after. When I first noticed it… I thought I was going insane. Add in the sightings of a large wolf. I mean that could have been explained away by a wolf crossing the border from Canada down here, but it coincided too well with the arrival of Oliver and the vigilante.”

He looked at her with an amused and impressed expression, “You really are smart.”

“I’m more than smart,” she mumbled.

_Genius with an IQ of 170._

She shook her head, “How long have you been doing this? Helping him.”

“A few months now,” he leaned back into his seat, “I didn’t believe him when he told me, but then he showed me…. Some days I still think I’ve lost my damn mind.”

She giggled a little hysterically, but decided right then that she liked John Diggle a lot. It was all a little crazy. Okay, it was _very crazy_. One minute she’s sitting behind her desk, living a normal life and the next she’s in the basement of an old factory with a bodyguard, digging a bullet out of a werewolf vigilante. Part of her was waiting to wake up from this. It just couldn’t be real. She was a woman of science not myth, yet she found herself _believing_.

While she sat there, she decided to take another look at the silver bullet. She held it up to the light, inspecting the little thing. She never understood that myth. What did silver have to do with wolves? Something else she noticed, looking at the bullet, was a crucifix carved into it. She wasn’t even going to begin to wonder why that was. Finding out werewolves exist was enough for one day.

They sat there for awhile until Oliver stirred. He growled, clenching his jaw and showing off some elongated canines. She gripped onto the armrests of her chair, her heart pounding wildly. He sat up, running a hand down his face. He was partially shifted, long claws were where his nails were supposed to be. He looked directly at her with those glowing yellow eyes, as if he already knew where she’d be.

“Felicity,” he said slowly, his voice lower than it usually was.

She let out a nervous laugh, “Hi..”

His wolfish features faded back to human. He stood from the table. The gauze on his shoulder completely fell away, revealing a healed shoulder. The only sign that he had been shot was the blood and a minor scar from the entry wound. His body was fine. Actually, it was more than fine. It was like it was sculpted from marble, but he did have scarring.

“Don’t be scared,” he took one careful step towards her.

“I’m not scared.”

He sighed, “You don’t have to lie….” he said, “I can tell that you are.”

She frowned further, making her forehead crinkle, “If you’re telling me that it’s true that dogs can smell fear….”

“ _Not_ a dog,” he sounded almost offended, “But yes.”

“How invasive,” she muttered.

“I don’t do it on purpose,” he sighed again.

She let out a shaky breath, “Okay…” she said, “It’s kind of hard not to be at least a little freaked out. I just found out that my boss is not only _the_ vigilante but a werewolf too.”

Diggle scoffed, making both of them turn, “You’re just going to pretend like you didn’t know?”

She felt herself getting flustered, “Well,” she said.

“What?” Oliver gaped at her, “You knew?”

She couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or impressed, maybe a little of both. He stared at her, waiting for her to say something.

“Uh, yes? Well, I was more sure about the vigilante thing, but the werewolf thing…. I had some suspicions. Do you know how hard it is to convince yourself of something like that? It’s insane,” she told him about the things she noticed; the moon phases, wolf sightings, and everything else that could have possibly tied him to being The Hood and lycanthropy.

He stood there in front of her without saying a word for a good few minutes. It wasn’t even until John spoke up that he made a movement.

“You’re lucky the rest of Starling City isn’t as smart as her,” he muttered.

Oliver nodded slowly, “I know.”

She pushed herself up to stand, her eyes moving over him once more. It was kind of hard not to stare when he was just standing there shirtless. She already found him really attractive, but this. He looked at her like he felt her watching. She jumped slightly and looked away.

“I need to get out of here,” she said softly.

“Wait.”

Her eyes moved back to Oliver.

“Help us.”

“What?” she squeaked out.

Diggle seemed to have the same sentiment as her.

“Digg you said it the other day, she’s practically an honorary member of the team anyway,” Oliver crossed his arms, making his muscles tense.

She swallowed thickly, but forced herself to pay attention to the words they were saying. “Honorary member? Because I’ve been unwittingly helping you.”

Oliver couldn’t bother to look guilty, “Yes, we could use your intellect on the team.”

“I’ll think about it,” she said, “That’s the only answer I’m going to give. I need to go home… and shower,” she gestured to the blood still on her skin and her clothing.

She turned to leave, but Oliver reached out to touch her. His fingers found her elbow, putting the slightest pressure against her, but still startling her. She hadn’t heard him move, but he was behind her so quickly. It caused a shiver to go up her spine.

“Will you stop that,” she snapped. She hadn’t actually meant to yell, but she wasn’t exactly a fan of being startled.

He let go of her immediately. He didn’t apologize, but instead said, “Thank you.”

She let out a slow breath, “I’d like to think you would have done the same for me.”

The corner of his lip twitched upward into an almost smile, but it was gone as soon as she saw it. He nodded, “Of course.”

It didn’t take her very long to decide to join the team. Especially when someone she cared about went missing. She signed on to help find Walter. She was sure her time on Team Arrow wasn’t going to be very long. It wasn’t like she was a hero, she was just an IT girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!
> 
> Next chapter will be posted Wednesday June 21st


	3. Heated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is honestly one of my favorite chapters out of the whole fic it’s just so [screams]. It was really fun to write lmao. So I really hope y’all have fun reading it. ((pls feel free to scream at me about it when you’re done))

Oliver watched Felicity leave. Her sweet scent lingered in the air. He almost couldn’t believe what had transpired that evening. When he got wounded and couldn’t shift he had no place to go. Felicity was the closest and the only person he really trusted to help. That was only part of it and he knew that deep down. He couldn’t stay away from her. As much as he told himself it was too dangerous for her to be involved with him, he couldn’t stop going to her.

Now she was even deeper in the mix.

The pain of the bullet being torn from his shoulder had taken him back to the Island. The nightmare seeping into his unconscious thoughts and bringing out his worst instincts.

_Hands reached out to grab him, holding him down. He fought against them. Men, soldiers, trying to take him somewhere he didn’t want to go. His heartbeat was a deafening thud in his ears. Adrenaline running high, he was more scared than he cared to admit._

_“Stop,” he growled._

_His voice didn’t sound like his own. Anger bubbled up within him, boiling beneath the surface and prickling at his skin. Something twisted inside of him. It felt like whatever the something was, it was trying to come out. He pulled away from the soldiers, falling forward onto the ground._

_“Stay away from me,” he couldn’t tell if his own words were a warning or a threat._

_His muscles stretched, body contorting and twisting. He screamed in pain; he thought he was going to be ripped apart. The men seemed to think he was faking because they reached for him again, trying to pull him off the ground. He moved to grab one of them, but instead gripping with fingertips, claws dug into the man’s flesh, ripping him open with ease._

_He screamed and pulled back, dropping Oliver to the ground again. His body continued to change until he wasn’t himself anymore. All his clothing had torn and fallen away. In place of a human man, there stood a large sandy colored wolf with glowing yellow eyes. He was bigger than the average wolf. If he were to stand on hind legs he would have been taller than most of the men before him. Without hesitation, the soldiers started to flee._

_“They didn’t tell us he was one of them,” one of the men shouted._

_Oliver growled and lunged. His own thoughts were being flooded out by the Beast. He could only think about one thing and that was tearing into these fools that dared to lay a hand on him. All he wanted to do was sink his teeth into their necks. And he did. They fought against him, but it didn’t take much for him to take them down. He bit down onto their necks, hard enough to crush their windpipes. Whipping his head back, he ripped their flesh. Warm blood poured into his mouth. He was lost to the Beast. He couldn’t have stopped himself even if he tried, not that he wanted to try. Every soldier lay dead on the ground, blood pooling around them._

_“Stop!” a woman shouted._

_He whipped his head to the side, staring her down before lunging at her as well._

________He may have woken up growling, but he’d known she was there before he even opened his eyes. It was Felicity’s scent invading his nose, that pulled him out of his nightmare and back to reality. The way she looked at him when he’d partially shifted. Her face. The way she grabbed onto the chair so tightly he could see her knuckles whiten. He could smell the fear on her and hear the thumping of her heartbeat. The fear and adrenaline radiated off of her, the scents and smells that usually drove him to take out his targets, making him want to recoil._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It was impossible for her not to fear him, he was a monster. But still he wanted to try. She was something special; she was kind and intelligent, more so than he had ever encountered in another person, and equally open minded. He’d never expected that she’d see right through his lies and secrets, but to seemingly accept him too was something else. He wanted her to trust him and not fear him. Her sweet sky blue eyes looking at him was what pulled him the rest of the way out of his nightmare. She centered and calmed him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You okay, man?” Digg’s voice tugged him out of his thoughts, “Standing there staring at the door isn’t going to make her walk back in.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I know that,” he muttered, shaking his head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Diggle rolled his eyes, “Is this really a good idea?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Maybe,” he sighed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“It’s dangerous.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“We can keep her safe,” he said it as a promise, both to himself and to her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

* * *

________It had been four days and he was still thinking about his nightmare. Those stupid dreams were the reason he barely slept at night. Letting out a frustrated grunt he pulled his body upward, doing a few pull ups. Punishing workouts were one of the only ways he ever seemed to be able to deal with his frustrations. This afternoon it wasn’t doing the trick._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The frustration was not helped by the fact that Felicity was below him, staring at him as he exercised. A small part of him liked the attention. Okay, it was a large part of him that always wanted her attention, but that day it was a little hard to handle. He could hear her shifting to get more comfortable, crossing her legs. With a quick glance down he caught sight of her rubbing her bright pink lips together. And the smell that radiated off of her, god. Her usual scent mixed with the strong aroma of arousal. She was getting turned on watching him. He flexed his muscles when he realized just what it was doing to her. When his muscles tightened, she bit down hard on her lower lip; Felicity thought it was sexy._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Fuck._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It made something stir inside of him that he could not let come out. He was perfectly capable of having sex and keeping control of himself. Oh yes, he had worked on that in his time away, but that didn’t mean he could go down that road with her. They were friends and now kind of co-workers. If you could call what he did at night a job. She was intoxicating on a level that he couldn’t even begin to describe, but he couldn’t do this. He couldn’t think about her in that way; he was dangerous. Hell, he wasn’t even human, not really. He couldn’t let himself even fantasize about normalities like being with an attractive woman; it wasn’t something he could have. It didn’t matter how many times he told himself this because his body wouldn’t listen._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He grunted, pulling his body up again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Mmm,” she barely made a sound, but he fucking heard it anyway._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He turned around, hanging from the bar with one hand, “Shouldn’t you be working?” he snapped a little more than intended._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She jumped and turned back towards her desk, “Yes, I was just uh… waiting for this to-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He jumped down, landing with ease, “To what?” he barked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She turned around and looked into his eyes, “I was waiting for this scan to bring back results. I can’t do much until it’s done,” she snapped right back at him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________A low growl formed in his chest. The act of meeting the gaze of a dominant wolf was considered one of aggression. It was a challenge. He knew that she didn’t know this, but it still made him bristle. Maybe it was the situation. He was already frustrated and irritable. If Oliver was being truthful, he didn’t view her as someone that needed to submit, someone lesser than him, but he was pissed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He narrowed his eyes and leaned in close, knowing full well he could use his size to intimidate her, “I’m sure there’s other things you could be doing,” he hissed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Her scent was almost suffocating this close, but he was so on edge he couldn’t stop himself._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You’re right,” she said, swallowing thickly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He could hear her heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears, but she didn’t give him a chance to say anything._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I have a lot better things to be doing that don’t involve being down here with _you_ ,” she stood, making him lean back, “I should’ve know better than to sign up with you… even temporarily.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Felicity pushed past him, practically stomping out of the foundry. He growled before turning on the nearest practice dummy. Clenching his fists he swung, hitting it as hard as he could._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You’re an idiot,” Digg muttered from where he’d been sitting a few feet away, watching their exchange._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You could have said something,” he swung his fist harder._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I don’t hold your leash, Oliver.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He whipped his head around and glared at John, who held up his hands in surrender. With a slow puff of air, he turned back to the dummy._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“But,” Digg continued, “If you want to get back on her good side, you might wanna start by apologizing.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Oliver slowed his punches for a second or two._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“And…” he paused._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He looked over at John._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Digg just shook her head, “Never mind.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“What?” Oliver tried not to snap but failed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He shrugged his shoulders, heading towards the stairs, “Maybe later.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Growling again, he went back to letting out his frustrations via violence towards the practice dummy. He wanted to know what John was going to say. Obviously, it was going to be something about Felicity._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________That woman. Why did they have to drive each other so crazy? He didn’t want to get too close to her and end up doing something he would regret. There was no room in his life for deep relationships. He could barely keep up one with his family and lifelong friend. It was a deep of fear of hurting them, both physically and emotionally, that kept him away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He gave a frustrated shout before slamming his fist into the dummy’s head hard enough for it to split._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Shit,” he panted._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He sighed heavily and quickly tossed away the rest of his clothes. There was one thing that always helped when he was this tense and that was simply going for a run. He shifted into his wolf form. It got easier the older he became. With practice and age it was less painful and almost fluid when he shifted._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He shook his entire body out before slipping out the back. It was stupid to run around outside like this, but he didn’t care. He wanted to get some fresh air and just run. For a moment he could focus on the way it felt to feel the wind against his face and the cool pavement on his paws. He could be alone with his thoughts and work off his restless energy. While he ran, he kept to the shadows as night fell on Starling._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Just like he thought, he found himself calming down. It wouldn’t last for long, calm was one thing that constantly seemed to evade him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The calm was disrupted sooner than he expected, when he caught a scent on the wind. The familiar intoxicating aroma he was trying to forget. As he was about the turn away and go the other direction, he heard a gasp. All the fur on his body stood on end._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Don’t make a sound,” a male voice hissed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“But-” it was Felicity’s voice._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“What part of be quiet don’t you understand, girl.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Oliver growled and took off towards her. In seconds he came upon them. Her back was to him, but he could plainly see the dirtbag in front of her. He got closer baring his teeth. In his wolf form he stood nearly at Felicity’s chest on all fours. As soon as the man saw him, his eyes went wide, and he started to back up. He made the wise decision of running off, but Oliver made a decision right then as well. If he ever saw that low life fuck again he wasn’t going to be so lucky._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Wha-” Felicity started to say when she turned around. She let out a high pitched yelp, “Jesus, Oliver,” she put her hand to her chest, “At least I’m pretty sure it’s you…. Please be you because if you’re not Oliver than I’m standing here talking to a giant wolf and honestly you’re a lot bigger than I thought you would be. Oh my god, I did not just say that to my boss..”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He nuzzled her hand with his nose to get her to stop talking. She pressed her lips together and breathed slowly through her nose for a moment. He huffed at her, but tried not to look smug at her big comment. She was going through enough trouble. He looked her up and down before stepping around her, circling and inspecting her. She didn’t appear to be injured, thankfully. When he was satisfied, he stood in front of her again, meeting her gaze._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“It must be you,” she stated, “I would know those eyes anywhere,” she said a little quieter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Something about that made his chest feel warm. She’d only seen his eyes like this once or twice and yet, she knew. He could hear her heart calming and the fear ebbing away. It made him feel better to know he wasn’t freaking her out, but still it probably wasn’t a good idea for her to lose that fear of him. He was dangerous._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She suddenly giggled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He tilted his head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You’re wagging your tail.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He huffed at her again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Oh c’mon it’s cute,” she muttered, starting to walk down the street again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He followed her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Gonna walk me home?” she asked, looking down at him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He nodded. What he would give to be able to speak in this form, to make sure she was really okay. But he could suck it up. It wasn’t like he could shift again until he got back to the foundry. He stayed by her side as they walked towards her house. It would be a lie to say he’d never been in the area. He wasn’t stalking her by any means, but he did like to at least go by on his patrols. He’d done so since she joined the team; and maybe once or twice beforehand. She was in danger just working with him now and he planned on doing everything in his power to keep her safe._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You know,” she said, “I think I like you better this way.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He looked up at her with a scowl._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“What? You can’t yell at me and you’re pretty cute… after you get past the whole… werewolf thing,” she chuckled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He growled lowly; he was _not_ cute._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She sighed and shook her head, “So touchy,” she muttered, “You really do owe me an apology for being an asshat this evening. Or am I supposed to consider you saving me from getting mugged as an apology?” she quirked a brow at him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He did owe her a real apology, but saving her would have to do for now, so he nodded again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Mhmm,” she hummed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________When they reached her house she unlocked the door, but instead of stepping inside right away, she turned towards him, “You wanna come inside?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He looked from her to inside her townhouse. Really, he should just leave. He’d spent too much time with her outside of work. But it was tempting. Dammit. He walked into her home and looked around. It was so very Felicity. Modern art, cozy furniture, bright colors, and a slightly ironic Robin Hood poster on her wall._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“It’s a good movie,” she said, closing the door, “Do you want anything to eat? I don’t have any dog food but…” she broke out in giggles again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He glared at her, letting out another low growl. It was hard to be angry though in the face of her melodic laugh. Her eyes lit up and her sweet smile brightened up her already beautiful face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Oliver you really need a sense of humor,” she said, “But I’ll take that as a ‘no’ on food.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He nodded and climbed up onto her couch. It sagged slightly under his weight. His eyes stayed on her as she walked through her small kitchen. She still didn’t seem bothered by him. Was it really that his wolf form was more comfortable to be around? Or was she just getting used to him. He didn’t know if he liked either answer._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She poured herself a glass of wine, biting down on her lip as she did so. His tail thumped against the couch several times. Damn tail, giving him away again. He stepped on it to make sure he didn’t do it again. Felicity came back and sat down beside him. She was quiet for a moment. He wished he could see inside that beautiful mind and see what she was thinking._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You’re staring at me,” she muttered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He looked away, acting as if the very idea was ridiculous._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She snorted and took a drink of her wine. “When I imagined you in my place it wasn’t like this,” she said, but quickly followed it with, “Not that I pictured you here for anything other than platonic reasons. Or imagined you at all… ever. Is it too early to blame the wine?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He blinked at her a couple of times. The way she rambled was incredibly cute, even if the things she said weren’t exactly appropriate._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Anyway….” she drank the rest of her wine in a couple gulps._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Licking her lips, she set the glass down. There were a few beats of awkwardness where neither of them said or did anything. He yawned despite his best efforts._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You don’t have to stay,” she said quietly, “I’m sure that guy isn’t going to be a problem anymore… and as scary as that was, you’re not obligated to keep me company.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He knew she was right and he should get the hell out of there. But that nagging feeling, the desire to be near her was winning out. He made a vow right there and then, after tonight he was going to do a better job of distancing himself from her. For now, though…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He shook his head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________A smile pulled at her lips, “Good,” she said, “Well, if you’re going to stay a bit then I’m turning on a movie.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She reached for the remote and turned on her DVD player. Instead of getting up to get a disk to put in, she simply hit play. The Robin Hood movie from the poster started to play. He looked at her with his head tilted._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“What? I told you the movie was good. I don’t have the poster just for aesthetic purposes,” she shrugged her shoulders._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She was quiet after that. Just watching the movie and enjoying herself. It was a treat to see her like this outside of work. He’d only known her for a short time and every time he’d visited her office or saw her at night, he’d only really seen the working employee version of her. Now, here she was, happily watching a favorite film, and so relaxed. He shifted, letting his tail slip from under his paw. It thumped against the couch again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She giggled quietly, “At least you’re enjoying it,” she teased._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He didn’t bother to make his displeasure known. Yes, he hated that his emotions could be easily read when he was a wolf, but that smile and her giggle. It almost made it okay. Maybe it was a good thing he couldn’t communicate too well in his wolf form because then she’d know that it wasn’t the movie, rather it was watching her that he was enjoying. Felicity got a little closer to him, leaning into the couch and getting more comfortable. She pulled her legs up onto the couch as well._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Her body was so tiny compared to his large frame, but she didn’t seem to mind. No, she was a little _too_ comfortable actually. Part way through the movie, she moved to lie against him. Or at least he thought she made the conscious decision to move. He peered down at her to see she had fallen asleep on him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Mmm,” she nuzzled into his side and gripped his fur gently._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________This had not been part of the plan. He huffed a breath at her, but she just reached up and bopped his nose gently. Crinkling his nose a little, he gave a sneeze. Still, she didn’t wake. He almost didn’t _want_ to move, he craved the attention. Being a werewolf he needed the physical contact; his body ached for it, but the human side of him screamed that it wasn’t safe. He just needed to get out of there. Carefully, he tried to shift away from her, but she gripped onto him tighter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He sighed heavily. Leaning over, he licked her cheek; she tasted sweet, but he tried not to think about that. This time she let go and wiped at her face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Yuck,” she mumbled in her sleep._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He slipped out from under her, but turned to check to make sure she didn’t wake. She rolled over, facing the couch and gripping onto a pillow. With a sigh of relief he left the townhome. It took a bit of extra effort to get the door open and closed, but he managed it and without getting caught._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think! comments and messages are always appreciated!!
> 
> tumblr: felicityollies  
> twitter: gothlicitys


	4. Dodger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> before anyone yells at me my wrist is extra wrapped up so i can’t use my left hand and i’m typing one handed. i skipped last week due to both my internet being out and bc of the surgery, but i hope y’all forgive me and enjoy this chapter.

“You licked my face!” Felicity said as she walked into the foundry.

Diggle looked up at her, but Oliver’s eyes remained trained on the arrowhead he was sharpening.

She rolled her eyes and went to her desk. It was weird waking up on her couch, alone after having been watching a movie with him. The whole night was weird. From the almost mugging, to him showing up and scaring the bejeezus out of both the mugger and her, and then sharing her couch and watching one of her favorite movies. The whole wolf thing did freak her out. The fact that he was huge and had gnarly teeth was one thing, but then he was so gentle with her. Softly nuzzling her hand to reassure her that she was right and it was him. Making sure she got home okay and spending time with her. It might have been the first time she’d seen a softer side to him. Other than those times when he was still being fake and lying to her. His wolf form was also rather cute when he wasn’t being snarly. His coat was this light sandy color that reminded her of a dirty blonde. There were markings on his tail that seemed unique to him. At least she assumed they were unique to him, as she had never seen a wolf with, what looked like, a white paint splatter on the tip of it’s tail.

It was strange and it didn’t help the tiny crush she was getting on him. Getting? Okay. So she had a crush on him, but it was only skin deep. He was an attractive guy, obviously, and she was only a woman. No one could blame her. Pushing those thoughts away, she sucked in a deep breath. She needed to stop thinking about that and focus on the now.

And now she was yelling at Oliver because he licked her face.

She didn’t remember falling asleep, but she distinctly remembered waking very briefly after she felt a tongue against her face.

“Well,” she crossed her arms, waiting for him to respond to her.

Without looking up, he said, “You fell asleep on me.”

She felt heat rising to her cheeks, “That… That is no reason to lick a person.”

“You wouldn’t move,” his tone stayed flat.

She sighed, rolling her eyes again.

“I don’t even want to know,” Diggle muttered.

“No, you don’t, but it’s nothing anyway,” she sat down at her computer and pulled up her scans.

She had a scan looking for Walter through facial recognition, one for general crime in the area, and an additional program searching through police radios and scanners. Her eyes moved over the computer screens, waiting for something to happen. On a small television, the news was playing. The woman on the screen spoke about a few robberies that had taken place around Starling, but lacked much information about the culprit.

“It’s too bad you don’t go after guys like that,” she gave a soft sigh and turned back to her scans.

Oliver looked from her to the news and back again. “Can you find them?”

She blinked a couple of times, “Uh yeah… just give me a second.”

Her fingers flew across the keyboard. She zeroed in on on jewelry stores, museums, and any place else that she could think of that carried expensive jewels. It wasn’t long until she had an alert blinking in her face.

“Robbery on 8th and Adams, it fits this guy’s MO,” she said.

This was the first time she was really going to be involved as a member of the team. The last several days the scanners had been quiet, but not tonight. It was a little thrilling. Oliver set a small earpiece on the desk.

“Keep us updated,” he said before walking away.

The boys were gone in a matter of minutes. She put the earpiece in and looked to her computer, making sure she had eyes and ears on both of them.

“Can you hear me?” she asked.

“Loud and clear,” Diggle said.

“Oliver?” she expected a response from him too.

“I can hear you,” he already sounded growly.

“You don’t have to be crabby,” she muttered under her breath.

“I can hear that too,” Oliver said.

She cringed a little. There was one thing she didn’t want and that was to start another fight with him. Although, he was the one that started it the first time, for no reason. It was totally rude. She let out a soft sigh and focused on the screens in front of her. She had eyes on the inside of the building where the robbery was taking place.

“He’s making an escape,” she said, “Towards the back.”

She watched the little GPS trackers, that represented Oliver and Digg, get closer to the building.

“Where are the security guards?” Diggle asked.

She flipped through the security camera footage, “Oh crap….” she muttered.

“What?” both John and Diggle spoke.

“Near the safe…. not moving,” she sighed, “Could still be alive.”

At least she hoped he was.

John went to check on the guard while Oliver started after the thief. Out the back of the building he went, Oliver was quick behind him. She watched on her screen, hoping that the mystery guy would get caught.

“The guard is just unconscious,” Digg muttered.

“Good,” she breathed out.

“Shit,” Oliver growled a few moments later.

She could see on the computer that the thief had hopped a fence into Sherwood Florist. It was safe to say that Oliver probably lost his scent among the flowers, greenery, and chemicals. She could only imagine what kind of assault that would be on his nose. Part of her found it very weird to have thoughts like that, but then again, she had fallen asleep on top of a giant wolf just the previous night. Her normal life had gone completely out the window.

“I need information on this guy, Felicity,” his voice was strained as if he were trying to keep himself from yelling.

“I’ll do what I can,” she sighed.

The comms went dead after that. They had to focus on getting the hell out of there anyway. The police were already on their way. She was going to have to keep tabs on the case and look for anything that could help them find this guy. Felicity started with looking at any other robberies that had transpired in the last couple months. She was so involved in her search that she barely heard John and Oliver coming back down the stairs. It was the slam of a bow meeting a metal table that finally caught her attention.

“I’m starting to think that you just like to startle me,” she muttered.

He didn’t say anything in response.

She sighed heavily and pushed herself up from the computer, “It’s late, I’m heading home, but I’ll keep you updated.”

John gave her a sympathetic look as she left the basement. She just shook her head; she didn’t need sympathy or pity, she needed Oliver to stop being a crabby asshole. It was a quick drive home. The streets were dead that late at night. She shuffled into her townhome and locked the door.

“Honey, I’m home,” she said jokingly, “Oh… that’s not even funny.”

With another sigh, she walked further into her house. She stopped when she noticed something sitting on her table. A bottle of red wine that she most certainly didn’t leave out. She looked around, wondering what the hell was going on, but there were no signs of entry. Nothing was broken. On another look at the bottle, she found a note beside it.

One word: _Sorry_ with a small arrow underneath it.

For a moment, she thought it was really sweet, but the realization that Oliver had been in her house without her permission was kind of annoying.

“If you think this is going to make up for being an asshole, you are wrong, Mister,” she picked up the bottle, “But this is a really good wine.”

The only thing that was going to make up for his behavior was him actually acting like a decent human being. He might be a werewolf, but that didn’t excuse his growliness. Oliver was still a person. A person that needed to be held accountable.

Even so, she did appreciate the gesture.

* * *

Oliver leaned against the bar inside Verdant, the club he and Tommy had been working on starting together. It was getting closer and closer to opening night. People were moving all around him, setting things up, putting bottles behind the bar, and yet it was easy for him to keep track of all of them.

“Do you remember what I asked you when you came back?” Tommy asked as he leaned against the bar beside him.

“Yeah, you asked me what I missed the most while I was… gone and I told you that I missed my family and you more than anything.”

“When I asked you… I thought you were going to say Laurel.”

Oliver turned to face him, “What?”

“I’m glad that you didn’t,” he sighed, “Is that terrible?”

“No…” he watched Tommy carefully. He could hear his heartbeat getting faster.

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck, “You know how Laurel and I are dating... I was actually worried about telling you at first because I thought you’d be pissed.” 

Oliver reached out, putting his hand on Tommy’s shoulder, “I’m not mad. I want you to be happy. Both of you.”

He gave a nervous smile, “Yeah? I think she’s the one. I’ve never felt this way about another woman before.”

There was no anger, nor jealousy. He honestly felt so happy to hear his friend say these things. The kid he knew before he left was about as much of a “commitment phobe” as he was. But now he could see how happy Tommy was with Laurel. His eyes lit up and the smile on his face was genuine.

“I know you’re a better man to her than I was,” Oliver said sincerely.

“I love her, man,” Tommy sighed happily.

He pulled his best friend into a tight embrace, “I’m happy for you.”

When they pulled back, Tommy looked him in the eyes, “You’ll find someone too.”

His smile faltered a little and he cleared his throat.

“I mean it,” he added.

“Mr. Queen,” Felicity walked towards them, “I uh… the wifi is all set up in the back,” she shoved her thumb towards their underground set up.

She was about as good at lying as he was.

“And who is this?” Tommy asked before Felicity could retreat.

“I’m nobody,” she said, “I mean I’m not nobody, I’m somebody, but not anyone of importance,” she started backing up.

His brows furrowed slightly, “This is Felicity, she works at QC.”

“Felicity,” Tommy said, holding his hand out to her.

“Felicity Smoak,” she finished for him, taking his hand, “And you must be Mr. Merlyn.”

“It’s Tommy… and I’m guessing this one has talked about me?” he pulled his hand back and gestured to Oliver.

He held back a scowl.

“No,” Felicity said quickly.

Tommy’s brows went up.

“Maybe in passing…but anyway, the wifi… I need you to double check it,” she looked back to him before moving quickly to get out of there.

Tommy chuckled.

“What?” he asked.

“She’s cute,” Tommy met his gaze.

He shrugged his shoulders, “Haven’t noticed.”

“Sure,” he patted his shoulder, “Better go check on that wifi,” he said, “Even though we had it set up three days ago.”

Oliver cringed internally.

Downstairs, he found Felicity at her desk. She tilted her head back to look at him. “He’s called The Dodger,” she said.

He leaned over her shoulder, his nostrils flared as he took in her scent. It was so hard to be close to her like this. He liked her a lot, wanted to be close to her, to let her touch him, but at the same time all of that was fucking terrifying. The thing that annoyed him the most was the liking her part. He wasn’t supposed to find her cute and funny; he shouldn’t think that she’s beautiful or that her teasing was kind of amusing. That was the real reason he just left wine in her apartment, instead of giving it to her himself, as an apology should have been. Felicity drew him in and he couldn’t afford to get lost in her.

“Oliver,” she said, capturing his attention.

“According to the police reports and interviews with the victims, he’s a high end jewel thief, but he doesn’t like to get his hands dirty,” she continued to explain her findings, showing him pictures and security videos.

Thanks to Felicity’s intel, it didn’t take them long to figure out where he was going to strike next and how to take care of it. They set their sights on a fundraiser where expensive antique jewelry was going to be auctioned off. It was easy enough for him to get his hands on something from the Queen vault that would entice The Dodger. He, Felicity, and Diggle just had to put on their formals and hit the auction.

When he first saw Felicity, short gold dress, perfect curls, red lips, and her usual glasses gone from her face, she took his breath away. For a moment he let himself get swept away in her beauty. The three of them split up to see if they could catch the thief in the act. Unfortunately, it was Felicity who found him. The image of her running to them with a bomb around her neck, looking more scared than he had seen her before, panic in her voice, and her heartbeat going a mile a minute would be burned into his brain. He could see how hard she was trying not to freak out, but she was still so selfless, trying to get him and Diggle away from her.

There was a chase, but it didn’t last for long. When he caught up to him, it took everything in him not to rip The Dodger apart. He managed to keep himself from shifting and killing him, but only because he needed the man to release Felicity from the bomb. However, as soon as he had done so, Oliver grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the ground as hard as he could. The Dodger’s head bashed into the concrete. It didn’t kill him, but he was knocked unconscious and would leave him with a nasty crack in his skull.

“Consider yourself lucky,” he growled.

The only reason he wasn’t dead, was because there were far too many witnesses on the street that night. If it had been any other night it would have been different. When he was on the streets or taking someone off the list he was always on the verge of shifting. There was no way to keep the wolf inside him completely contained in the face of the self-preservation instincts required to continue his mission.

With an anonymous tip to the police, he made his way back to Diggle and Felicity. He sent Felicity home and told her to get some rest for the next couple of days.

“I don’t want to see you at work or in the foundry,” he warned.

It was somewhat selfish. She did need some time off after what she had just gone through, but he also needed some space. He kept trying to convince himself to keep his distance from her, as much as he could considering they were working together, but he was so drawn to her. He knew he probably shouldn’t have brought her onto the team. It was dangerous; he was dangerous. And now he was forming an attachment to her. Fuck, he needed this to stop. He learned in those five years he was away that it was dangerous to form attachments. They caused nothing but pain, both for him and the other person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think! comments and messages are always appreciated!!
> 
> tumblr: felicityollies  
> twitter: felicityollies


	5. Verdant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love this chapter too and I realized that the odd ones (with the exception of the last chapter) are my faves. This one was just really fun for me to write and I hope y’all enjoy it.

Felicity should have packed up her things and parted ways with Team Arrow. That had been the plan when she signed on. After several months of searching, Walter was back home with Moira. She had every reason to go back to her very boring and less than satisfying life. She just really didn’t want to. There was something so amazing about feeling like she was making a difference. It didn’t matter how small that difference may be, it made her feel like her life was worth something. In her daily life, her work at Q.C, she didn’t feel challenged. She hadn’t allowed herself to use her intelligence and skills in years, especially not anything related to hacking. With the team she could actually use her brain, and she loved it. The thrill of testing her skills, cracking the toughest cybersecurity, and bringing down ne'er do wells of the city, brought an enjoyment and purpose to her life that she hadn’t ever had before.

But staying on Team Arrow was more complicated than that and it had everything to do with Oliver.

Having feelings for her boss was the last thing she wanted to do. What made it worse was that she had no idea what he was thinking most of the time. After the whole incident with bomb collar, he’d been even more distant than before. How does he go from saving her life and leaving wine in her home, as an apology for being an ass, to speaking to her as little as possible? It didn’t make a damn bit of sense. Part of her wondered if he thought she was becoming a liability. Maybe she shouldn’t have confronted The Dodger. Maybe she shouldn’t have offered to go on the field. But then again, if he had a problem with her, he would have said something. He’d never kept his displeasure to himself before.

Felicity let out a long sigh.

“That’s the fourth time in ten minutes,” John said.

She turned her head towards him, “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he muttered, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she mumbled.

“We both know that’s a damn lie,” he crossed his arms.

She withered under his stern stare. They may have only known each other for a short time, but she really liked John Diggle and he liked her. He watched after her like the brother she wished she’d had when she was growing up. Digg was kind and actually wanted her to talk about her problems.

“Well it’s….” she glanced around like she was about to get caught, “Oliver,” she whispered.

“I figured as much,” he sighed, “And don’t worry, there’s so much going on up there, I don’t think he’s going to hear us.”

“Debatable.”

He chuckled and shook his head, “Listen, he’s got a lot a problems. We all do, but…”

“He hates me,” Felicity whined.

“No,” John still smiled, “He really doesn’t.”

She gave him a disbelieving look.

“He’s just…. Oliver, hard headed and stubborn. He refuses to accept that he needs help and people around him. He’s gotta let us in, let someone in. Especially because he believes that he shouldn’t have pulled us into this or that we’ll leave eventually. But with every day we’re here, we prove him a little wrong, and I think he’s definitely starting to let us in. And he most definitely cares about you. It’s going to take some time, I know, but he’ll come around. I swear,” he stood and moved closer to her, “Let’s go upstairs and get a drink. We’ve been down in this hole for too long and it’ll help get your mind off things.”

She couldn’t help chuckling at that. It was too true. “Okay,” she said, “I need to go home and change,” she looked down at her pencil skirt and blouse, “This isn’t exactly club ready.”

It was nearly an hour later when she found herself standing outside. It was the back end of winter in Washington and it was still pretty cold. She really didn’t know why she was humoring Diggle, but at least he was by her side. They were going to get a drink, relax and chat, as friends do, something she hadn’t done in so long.

She sighed shakily as she got closer to the front door of Verdant. It was one of Tommy and Oliver’s extravagant events. She wasn’t even sure what it was for this time; they had planned events for everything from Valentine’s Day to Memorial Day. They had a famous DJ working the club and there were people everywhere. She half expected not to get in. Of course, she and Diggle could have slipped in through the back. Ugh, why didn’t she think about that beforehand? The nerves bubbling up inside of her were probably a good reason why her brain wasn’t at peak performance.

She met Diggle at the entrance where he was talking to the bouncer. Said bouncer looked her up and down and nodded towards the door. She breathed out a sigh of relief. The gold dress she wore weeks ago was nothing compared to the red number she put on that night. It had been sitting in the back of her closet just begging to be worn. The dress was tight and rested just above her knee. It hugged her curves in just the right way. Her shoulders were on display with thin spaghetti straps resting atop them. A perfect amount of cleavage peaked through a v-shape cut. She let her natural curls fall down her back and her makeup was subtle around the eyes, but her lips popped with a blood red.

Felicity walked into the club with her arm wrapped around Diggle’s. The music was loud enough that she could feel the bass in her chest. There were so many people dancing, laughing, and just enjoying themselves, it was incredible. She slipped through several groups of people, even passing Tommy and Laurel. She paused for a moment part way through the dance floor and turned her gaze. Across the way she met Oliver’s eyes. They held each other’s gaze for a quick second before he looked away from her. She had felt him looking at her, but as soon as she noticed he seemed to decide it wasn’t a good idea… or something.

John told her that coming to Verdant would help her keep her mind off Oliver, all the tension, and every other little thing nagging at her brain. She just didn’t see how this was going to work.

“Crap,” he muttered.

“What?” she looked up at him.

“Phone call, I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he pulled away from her and walked towards the back hallway.

With a sigh, she continued on towards the bar. It wasn’t good for her to stare at Oliver anyway. But… well he was looking damn good that night. Well tailored suit, hair done just right, and a stance that simply grabbed her attention. It was _too_ easy for her to watch him.

Somehow she managed to get up to the bartender and immediately had his attention. She didn’t know if it was the look she was pulling off that night or what, but she wasn’t going to complain.

Before she could order herself something fruity, and high in alcohol, a man slid up beside her, “You look like a cosmo kind of girl,” he said, leaning on the bar.

“I might be,” she gave him a sweet smile.

The guy was tall, maybe an inch or so taller than Oliver, but not as broad or muscular. She could tell even with the cheap suit. And she should not be comparing random strangers to _Oliver_. This was why she needed to stop looking at and thinking about him.

She forced her thoughts back to the man in front of her. He seemed charming. Nice smile, definitely. He didn’t give off a very trustworthy vibe, but she still found it nice to be paid attention to.

“But I don’t think so, tonight,” she shrugged her shoulders.

With an annoyed eye roll, he backed off. There were more than a few fish in the sea that night. He would be fine.

She ordered herself the cosmo. And she was not going to let anyone judge her because the drink started sounding good after he said it. Five minutes later, another man came up to her.

“You’re looking a little lonely,” he said with a smirk.

She snorted.

He didn’t seem deterred, “Would you like some company, another drink?”

“I don’t know.”

He smiled wide; it was extra toothy, reminding her of a shark, “C’mon….” he said, “The name is Tom by the way. I bet you have a beautiful name. Have to because you are one sexy piece.”

Yeah, this guy was screaming sleazeball. She should have let Mr. Cheap Suit buy her a drink instead.

“Is this guy bothering you?” Oliver’s body was suddenly encompassing hers. Standing behind her and using his size to tower over both her and the other man.

She swallowed thickly. It was already warm in there, but heat was radiating off of Oliver’s body. Being so close to him did things to her, but she wasn’t going to let her mind or body get distracted.

“We’re just having a nice conversation, buddy,” the sleazy guy said.

It was loud in the club, but she still heard a low growl from Oliver’s chest. Though, it was obvious that the other man couldn’t. She could feel heat reaching her cheeks.

“I think you had better reconsider,” Oliver continued.

The way he stood, the way he presented himself, screamed Alpha. Even to a human, like herself, that was obvious. Finally, the other man seemed to take the hint. She could see him shrinking as he realized he was in too deep. He held up his hands in surrender and slinked away like the snake he was.

“Are you okay?”

Felicity turned her head to look up at him. His face was only a few inches from hers. She swallowed again.

“Yeah,” she whispered, knowing he would hear it.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Having fun,” she shrugged.

He let a slow breath out through his nose.

“Everything is locked up downstairs… we weren’t getting any hits.”

“I’m not worried about that,” he muttered.

“Then what are you worried about,” she challenged, keeping her eyes on his.

He glanced at her lips for a quick moment. If she hadn’t been paying attention, she might have missed it. Her heartbeat sped up as she turned slightly, putting her back against the bar. He leaned in closer, his hand hovered close to her hip for a moment before finding the bar.

“You’re my friend, Felicity,” he said, “I’m worried about you.”

 _Friend_. Why did that word sting? At least Diggle was right; Oliver didn’t hate her. It was stupid of her to think that in the first place. You don’t save the life of someone you hate, _twice_.

“Of course,” she said quietly.

He let out another slow breath, this time she could feel it against her skin, “Is there something bothering you?”

She almost hated how he could sense slight changes from her. It was intimate in a way that she had never experienced with another person. In a way that she probably would never experience with another person.

“No,” she lied.

His brow raised, “Why are you lying?”

“How do you know I’m lying?” she asked.

“I can sense it,” he said quietly, “In the tone of your voice and the beat of your heart. Lying has a specific scent as well.”

She let out a shaky breath. Felicity should have been turned off, but all she wanted to do was melt into him. He was so attractive, he pulled her in with his looks and charm; he was intoxicating. Oliver made the rest of the world disappear. She’d seen men pull the attention of a room before, but never like this. She slowly realized that it wasn’t exactly a human attribute. It was startling how easily his wolf pulled her in, scary even.

“I need to go,” she suddenly pushed herself up and slipped away from him.

He caught her wrist, gently, “You don’t have to hide things from me,” he said close to her ear.

“I know,” she whispered back, “Goodnight, Oliver.”

She slipped out of his grasp and left the club without looking back. It was a little disappointing that she didn’t spend much time in Verdant. She could see it was going to be a popular place, so it wasn’t like it was her last opportunity. Still, she knew she shouldn’t have gone there at all. She was left with more questions than answers and even more confusion regarding her feelings for Oliver. She didn’t know if he had stopped the guy from hitting on her because of his worry or if it was something else. It was laughable to think that there might be more to it than just a friendly worry. She couldn’t let her mind wander to those kinds of thoughts.

This stupid crush was going to get her into trouble.

At home, she found herself in front of her computer. She sat in her most comfortable sweats, her hair pulled back into a messy bun, and her glasses back on her face. There was a bottle of wine on one side of her and a pint of ice cream on the other. It wasn’t vigilante business that had her on the computer that night, no. She was doing something she had been avoiding for months. She was going to indulge her curiosity and do some werewolf research. Not that she expected to find anything remotely helpful, but no one would blame her. She was a curious person, someone that despised mysteries. She was determined to solve every mystery and puzzle that crossed her path and Oliver happened to be the biggest one yet.

In her research she discovered a lot of Hollywood bullshit, but in the crevices and cracks of the internet, she found information that correlated with what she knew about Oliver. Werewolves weren’t bound by the moon as much as people would like to think. He could change whenever he wished. That was something she already knew. His speed was heightened as well as his strength and senses. Also not news. The one thing that really piqued her interest was a small bit about the werewolf’s sexual magnetism. Oliver had been an attractive man before, but the change had increased his appeal. She couldn’t find a reasonable explanation for this, but she had to assume that it was all a part of survival.

But, she found herself wondering if the strong attraction she felt to him was because of his lycanthropy or because she truly wanted him that badly. She was inclined to believe that it was the first option. It was both a relief and disappointment. Felicity didn’t know what she was going to do about it, but considering her bottle of wine and carton of ice cream were both gone, she was going to have to process by spending some time sleeping on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Comments and messages are always appreciated!
> 
> Find me at twitter and tumbler as felicityollies


	6. So It Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one of my favorite scenes is in this chapter. it was inspired by a werewolf book series that i’ve been reading and it is just so amusing to me. @imusuallyobsessed will know what I’m talking about. This chapter is so long (for me anyway) and I actually had to split it into two. 
> 
> also- we’re halfway through the story! i’m so glad y’all have been sticking with me!!

Oliver sat on the edge of a rooftop. Trouble was brewing; he could feel it in the air, the prickle of it on his skin. Something was coming, but he wasn’t sure what it was yet. There was nothing on any of Felicity’s scans. No word from any contacts. It might seem like paranoia was taking over, but he knew. He just _knew_ that something was off.

Maybe he was a little on edge. It was getting close to the full moon and on top of that his nightmares had taken a turn for the worse. The last three nights he’d dreamt of Felicity. Her figure so soft and delicate, sprawled across black satin sheets. Darkness against her warm and light body. His lips on her pale skin and breathy moans falling from her lips. The smell of her arousal invading his nose and making him whine. The dreams always started this way. They seemed so pleasurable, but every night they ended in blood spray. His body would change, clothing tearing as the wolf took over. He ripped into her with claws and teeth, waking up when her scream filled his ears.

Oliver hated the wolf. It was nothing but a beast. Then again so was he. All he did was cause others pain and if he got too close to them, death. There was no way for him to have a normal life with what he was. It didn’t matter if he was lonely, he couldn’t risk it. He couldn’t risk hurting Felicity. He’d been with women in the past, but she was different from any of his one night stands. She was the exact opposite of him; kind, beautiful, the most intelligent person he had ever met and probably would ever meet. Felicity was someone he felt he needed to protect. He cared about her more than he even wanted to admit.  
At least she’d been keeping her distance ever since their run-in at Verdant. That night he’d hardly been able to control himself. When she walked in, wearing that red number it was hard to stay right where he was. His inner beast wanted her as much as he did. Wanted to slowly peel off the dress and taste her. Finally feel what it was like to have her lips on his. There was more than just a physical attraction to her, but the desire was strong. At the same time he wanted to be with her intimately, he wanted to spend all night talking to her about every little thing.

The protectiveness he… no it was the jealousy he felt when other men looked at her, lusted after her, it made him want to scream. He couldn’t even pretend he was trying to protect her that night. It was a lie, he was fucking jealous that those assholes so freely hit on her, while he had to be so restrained around her, and that was why he scared those guys away. But he knew that if they hadn’t been in a room full of people that he might have done something he regretted. He wasn’t supposed to have those feelings. Oliver wasn’t dating Felicity, not that he would allow himself to or that she wanted to. She might have a physical attraction to him, but even if she wanted something emotional from him, there wasn’t enough good left in him to offer her anything.

He sensed something from her the moment before he left. Her emotions had been such a mix beforehand. Everything from annoyance to embarrassment and arousal. But just before she left she seemed a little scared. He wasn’t sure what it was that happened to make her feel that way, but it was for the best. Part of him hated that she was scared, of him, but he knew it was better for her own safety. In the past few days, she also stopped trying to watch him when he was working out. Though, he admitted he missed the attention.

A howl ripped through the quiet night, forcing his thoughts away. He held in his own howl. It was hard to resist a call, but he could do it. The fact that there was howling in his city was more than a little alarming. There wasn’t a pack in Starling. If there was, he would have set off all kinds of alarms when he returned home, and been tracked down by them. It wouldn’t have been the first time something like that happened to him. Now it was his turn to be on high alert. This was his city and he didn’t want anyone else, like him, inside it. More wolves meant more danger and he wasn’t having any of it.

He growled and set off to follow the sound. Rooftop to rooftop he jumped and ran. His movements were swift and quiet, not wanting to alert the other werewolf of his presence. So far all he heard was one, but there could be more. If there were, they were just as good at resisting the call as he was. Oliver stopped when he spotted a light brown colored wolf in the street. He was close and yet the other wolf didn’t seem to sense or smell him at all. Honing senses and using them to one’s advantage was something that was learned. This one was untrained and probably fairly young. A new werewolf on the loose in the city was far more dangerous than a trained wolf like him and it was something that he didn’t need.

He jumped down, landing a foot or so away from the beast. The lighter wolf turned his head towards him and growled. His own eyes flashed yellow and he bared his teeth. He growled back and took another step towards him.

“Stand down,” he snapped, keeping his eyes locked on the wolf’s.

It only took another moment before the other werewolf submitted to him. He rolled over onto his back with a whine. Oliver might have been somewhat of a lone wolf, but he was an alpha. It was easy for him to gain control of a submissive wolf, especially one so young and inexperienced. This one was only a threat because of his lack of training. He could sense the fear and confusion from the poor thing.

With a push of a button he turned on his comms, “Everyone get out of the foundry,” he muttered.

“There you are. You know this whole teamwork thing works better if you don’t ignore us,” Felicity replied.

“Out. Go home, both of you.”

Digg sighed, “I have to agree with Felicity….”

Oliver growled. It was obvious that they weren’t going to listen, “I’m bringing in another wolf,” he ground out.

He kept his eyes on the wolf, watching as he tilted his head, listening to the conversation. Both John and Felicity were quiet for a moment.

“I’ll head out if that’s really what you want,” Diggle said.

“It is,” Oliver managed not to snap this time.

Felicity sighed at him, “I’ll go, but I don’t want to.”

“It’ll be safer.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…”

Felicity’s line went dead. He got the feeling she was pissed at him about something, but he just shook his head and focused his attention on the younger wolf.

“Come with me,” he commanded.

Without a second thought, the wolf flipped over onto his paws and started following him. When he got back to the foundry everyone was gone. The club was empty upstairs, leaving it nice and quiet for him, which was good considering the unknown entity he’d brought in and what was about to happen. Quickly, he changed into regular clothes. The wolf followed him around; it didn’t really bother him. When he was finished, he glanced down at the wolf who was looking at him expectantly.

“I need you to turn back,” he said.

He hung his head and let out a huff of breath.

“Now,” Oliver used a harsher tone.

It was the only way he was going to get the other werewolf to listen. He could have forced the other wolf to turn, but he didn’t want to; he was a skill he rarely used, considering he was a lone wolf. The younger wolf started to shift moments later. His body changing from wolf to human. It was a slow and painful process. And it was kind of hard to listen to. Oliver remembered the first several times he’d gone through it. The pain alone made him wish he would have just died. 

Shaking his head, he grabbed some extra clothes they had lying around. Canine whines and whimpers changed to human screams of pain. With a sigh, he knelt down in front of the boy. Oliver slid him the clothing. They were baggy on him, but they were the best he could do at the moment.

“What’s your name?”

The boy looked up at him, “Roy,” he said, “Roy Harper.”

“What happened to you?” Oliver continued.

They talked for awhile. He learned that Roy had actually been following him before he was changed. Roy was looking for a friend that had gone missing. Seemingly, his disappearance was drug related, but to Roy it didn’t make any sense. His digging and searching lead him to a local drug dealer, but just as he was going to ask for help, he was taken. He was experimented on and changed. According to Roy there were many others like him, but some of them didn’t survive the change. They were tossed away like yesterday’s trash, as if they hadn’t been people once. That was how he discovered his friend; dead, torn to pieces, and given to the surviving werewolves to create bloodthirsty beasts. Oliver could only guess that these wolves being artificially created, mixed with tasting human flesh as their first experience did something to them, to their humanity. The blood and gore made it difficult for Roy to escape; he wanted to eat like the rest of them, but he fought his damnedest to leave.

Roy had no family, but a few friends that might have been looking for him. But Oliver couldn’t let him back onto the streets; Roy had no idea what his own strength was or how to control himself. Roy didn’t want to anyway. The younger boy was so scared of hurting someone. Oliver wanted to tear into the person that did this to him. He was young, barely in his twenties just as he had been when it happened. But unlike him, Roy was treated like a scientific experiment and now had no idea how to deal with this new life. It was cruel.

Most of the night was spent making sure that Roy was okay. Oliver didn’t feel like attempting to sleep anyway. Not with the dreams he’d been having.

“I need you to stay down here,” he said, “I mean it. Stay. Down. Here,” he said sternly.

Despite himself, Roy nodded, “I’ll be right down here,” he sighed, sitting down in Felicity’s chair.

It was early enough in the morning that he figured Felicity and Digg wouldn’t be in for another few hours. He just needed to go out and get Roy something to eat.

* * *

Felicity arrived at Verdant, knowing that she was taking a risk by being there at all. Oliver could very well bite her head off when she walked through the door, but she had been working on something when she was so rudely kicked out of the Arrow Cave. When she hit the bottom of the stairs, someone was standing right there, staring at her wide eyed.

“Good lord,” she mumbled, putting her hand to her chest, “Who are you?”

“Roy,” he sniffed close to her, “You smell really good.”

“Um… thank you,” she stepped around him and towards her desk, “I’m Felicity,” she said, “Where’s Oliver?”

“He left,” Roy mumbled, watching her carefully.

It kind of freaked her out, the way he was watching her, but she could only assume that he was the wolf Oliver brought in. He seemed like a stray puppy… only a little scarier.

“Can you….” she watched him sniff the air around her again, “Can you sit down or something?” Her voice was a little quiet and he seemed to miss what she said completely, “Sit down!” she practically shouted, “And relax.”

Roy dropped to the floor, kneeling down beside her. She blinked a couple of times. There was no way that would have ever worked on Oliver, but Roy was different. He was younger, sure, but she could tell without wolf senses that he was definitely not an alpha. From what she had read about both wolves and werewolves, if he was another alpha Oliver probably would have killed him. But she didn’t want to think about that.

“You really do smell good,” he mumbled, wrapping his arm around her leg.

“Eep,” she squeaked, “Stop that,” she tried to be as commanding as before, but her voice wavered.

Without the confidence of an alpha it didn’t work. Even with the strength behind her voice it might not have done anything. He wasn’t focused on the words coming from her mouth; he was completely absorbed in her scent. He pushed himself up, still on his knees, he nuzzled his face into her stomach. Oh yes, the tender, fatty part that would be easy for him to tear into. She held back a whimper.

“I’m so hungry,” he whined, looking at her with light green wolfish eyes.

She swallowed thickly, “I chose the wrong day to wear my new vanilla cinnamon perfume.”

Felicity was trying so hard not to be scared, but she had a starving werewolf wrapped around her. The fear was only going to egg him on and it did. His fingers shifted slightly into claws, starting to dig into her skin.

“What is going on?” Oliver shouted.

Roy growled, gripping onto her tighter, “Mine.”

He pricked her skin, making her bleed just a little.

Oliver dropped a bag of food down, “Let go, Roy,” he demanded.

“Mine,” he whined, seeming to grow more desperate with the scent of her blood in the air and on his claws.

“She is _mine_ ,” Oliver growled, eyes flashing yellow.

Felicity’s brow furrowed, but when Roy let go, she understood why Oliver had said it; as the alpha, staking his claim on her made it nearly impossible for Roy to defy him. He was protecting her. Part of her found it kind of attractive, but the much more evolved side of her found it annoying.

He picked up the bag of food and tossed it towards Roy. “Eat,” he muttered.

Felicity opened her mouth to say something, but Oliver kept speaking.

“What do you think you’re doing down here?” he hissed.

“Excuse me?” she narrowed her eyes at him.

“I told you I was bringing another wolf in and you waltz right in here?”

If she could have, she would’ve been growling right then, “I don’t know if you know this but I am a grown woman and I make my own decisions. It’s not like I’m fond of getting myself in sticky situations, but I have a job to do and I’m damn well going to do it,” she stood as tall as she could, “I am not yours and I don’t need your protection,” she poked him hard in the chest.

“Seems to me that you do,” he snapped.

She stared at him for a moment. There were a few times she had gotten into trouble, but she wasn’t some damsel in distress.

“You know what, Oliver? Screw you. I don’t need your damn protection. I was taking care of myself for years before you came to me, needing help,” she pushed past him.

“Where are you going?” he raised his voice again.

“Away from you. I’m tired of you acting like I’m some tech nerd damsel. I’m tired of you going back and forth from being my friend to being a cold asshole towards me for no reason whatsoever. I am _tired_ of you not being a team player. You make decisions without Diggle and I… and you don’t _trust_ us. I’m just tired…” she shook her head, “Don’t bother with your wine bottle apologies because it’s not going to work,” she added when she reached the top of the stairs.

She slammed the door and stomped out of the building. Part of her wondered if she was being harsh, but she wasn’t going to take back anything she said. She tried to give him what he wanted and distanced herself too. Okay, it was for her as well. She needed to know that she could be around him without wanting to jump him. Apparently she could, but that didn't mean they weren’t going to fight.

Whatever. She needed to get away from him and get home so she could clean up.

* * *

“You like her,” Roy mumbled around a mouth full of food.

Oliver glared at him, causing him to quiet down immediately. He sat in his chair, trying to calm himself. The fear in the room, the tension, and then the added scent of blood made his inner wolf restless. It didn’t help that it was _Felicity’s_ blood; it made him so angry and protective.

After three breakfast sandwiches, Roy spoke again, “You should have let me apologize to her, I didn’t mean to freak her out…. or hurt her. I was just so hungry and she smells amazing.”

“I know,” he muttered, leaning back in his chair, “If she comes back you can apologize.”

“If?” he asked, unwrapping another sandwich, “How often do you two fight?”

“A lot,” he sighed, running his hand down his face.

“It’s not any of my business, but…”

“You’re right, it’s not,” Oliver snapped.

His tone and the volume of his voice caused Roy to hesitate, “If you like her, you should say something to her.”

Oliver sighed again and shook his head, “I don’t… I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Too dangerous.”

“Why- oh….” he deflated and quietly went back to eating.

He didn’t mean to shut down Roy like that, but what could he say? It was dangerous for someone like them to be dating. The silence in the room stretched on until it was almost too much to bear. It was almost twenty minutes before either of them spoke again.

“I know… I don’t have any control, but last night you told me you could teach me. That I could have a normal life again. Or at least somewhat of one. Now you’re telling me that I’m too dangerous to be around someone I like?”

Oliver opened his mouth and then shut it again.

“Maybe you’re not dangerous…. you’re just scared,” Roy crumbled up the empty fast food bag and threw it away, “I need some air.”

“Stay in the parking lot,” he growled.

Roy nodded, but he disappeared up the stairs and out the door. He wanted to bite Roy’s face off for telling him he was scared, but he knew it was the truth. _Dammit_. He was scared of himself and he was scared of hurting her. But pushing her away was only hurting her in a different way. He really did like her. Not just in a physical sense. No matter what his dreams were, there was so much more to her than just her body. He’d learned so many things about her in the past several months she’d been working with him and Diggle. Each tiny fact he learned made him like her that much more. From the fact she dyed her hair, to learning about her first drug experience, her love of the moon and stars, and how she had been thinking about adopting a cat. Every little thing was amazing to him.

Now she really was going to hate him. With the way he had been acting towards her, what happened at Verdant, and then basically staking a claim on her. He would be lying if he said it didn’t feel good to say it, but he knew it was wrong. Werewolves weren’t as evolved when it came to any kind of ownership. He wasn’t like that. Not anymore. When he was a kid he treated women like pieces of meat, but he was different now. The wolf might argue that fact, but he knew he was different. He said what he said to keep Felicity safe, not because he did feel like he had some kind of right to her.

Some days he really wished that he could ignore the wolf. It wasn’t helpful and it wasn’t fucking wanted.

* * *

“I’m sorry,” Roy said as soon as Felicity hit the bottom of the stairs, “For trying to eat you….” he sighed heavily, “I hope I never have to say that to anyone again.”

She giggled in response, “I’m not going to lie… that was one of my weirder experiences, but I think I’m really starting to get used to this wolf business.”

Oliver didn’t understand how she could be so calm after what happened. She was so welcoming to Roy when she didn’t have to be. He shook his thoughts away and cleared his throat when she started to ramble.

“But in short… apology accepted,” she said, wrapping the sentence up.

John walked down the steps a few minutes after she did. They all sat together, discussing everything that Roy had told Oliver.

“That’s horrible,” Felicity said, “What are we going to do?”

He couldn’t help but pause for just a moment. She was so compassionate. There was no question in her mind that people needed their help and they were going to provide it. She just wanted to know what the hell they were going to do. It made something inside of him stir.

“I’m going to follow Roy to the facility. We need to know who’s in charge and what their plan is.”

“Is that safe?” John asked.

“No,” he answered immediately, “These wolves… if they’re anything as Roy described, they aren’t in touch with their humanity anymore.”

“There was nothing human about them,” Roy shuddered and closed his eyes.

“This is strictly recon,” he said sternly, “Get in, get information, get out.”

John nodded and they began to plan. Felicity would guide them and be their eyes, Digg was going to follow with both silver tranqs and silver bullets, and Oliver would follow Roy’s lead.

Felicity held up one of the tranqs, “One of my majors should have been biochemistry,” she muttered, “With your metabolism drugs of any kind, shouldn’t work,” she narrowed her eyes at the little vial, “Mm, but with the silver mixed in, it’s like a penetrating poison that carries the drug through your system,” she continued to muse aloud, “But there must be more to it.”

He kind of liked it when she worked through her thoughts out loud. She was so smart and completely adorable when she was talking to herself.

“We should make more of this, just in case,” she finally spoke to him.

They had it on hand to begin with in case he got out of control, but they had never had to use it before that night.

He nodded, “Agreed.”

On the street they started where Roy remembered to be close to where he escaped, he walked ahead of him a few paces. John was behind him, far enough that he was out of sight, but Oliver could still hear him.

“Anything familiar?” he asked Roy.

He sniffed the air, “All I smell is… cheeseburgers.”

Oliver rolled his eyes, “Focus harder.”

“Be nice,” Felicity muttered in his ear.

“Nice isn’t going to get us anywhere,” Oliver said flatly.

She huffed, “Let me see if I can help,” he listened to her typing on her computer, “Thermal imaging satellite,” she said, “If there’s a building full of werewolves there should be a huge heat spike.”

Oliver had hoped that Roy would be able to use his nose to find the way, but it seemed he was still too new. At least they had Felicity.

“This place has to be pretty hidden to get past your nose,” she kept talking, but he knew she wasn’t talking to him, “Bingo!” she said a little too loudly.

“What?” he hissed.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, “There’s a large building just off the Glades with a heat signature through the roof.”

Felicity lead them onto the right path. As soon as they were close, Roy knew exactly where they were.

“This is definitely it,” he whispered.

They were about to move forward when someone stepped outside the front of the building. Roy growled, but Oliver put his hand on his shoulder to quiet him. His nose told him exactly who that was, Malcolm Merlyn. How could he be involved in this experimentation?

“Everything is going to be ready soon,” he spoke to presumably one of his henchmen, “When the full moon rises the Glades will be filled with wolves.”

“Sir,” the man said, “There are others nearby.”

Oliver saw the other man’s eyes flash. _Shit._ He had been so focused on Malcolm that he didn’t realize the other man was one of them.

“It doesn’t matter,” Malcolm said, “They’ll be taken care of tomorrow night.”

“They’re wolves,” the other man growled.

With a dramatic sigh, Malcolm waved his hand, “If you’re really that worried.”

Merlyn walked towards a car and got inside. The wolf started to charge at them.

“Go back to John,” Oliver growled, “Digg take him back to the foundry.” 

Roy took off.

He gripped onto his bow and reached for a tranq arrow with a graceful swiftness. Carefully, he aimed and fired. The man dodged the arrows as he tried to shift. His jerky movements made it easier for Oliver to finally hit him. The silver slowly invaded his system, causing him to collapse on the ground and start to shake. His clothes were torn, but his shifting completely stopped.

“What did you do?” he grunted.

“You’re not going to die,” Oliver growled, putting his hand on the man’s chest, “Not yet. Tell me what Malcolm is planning.”

“I can’t disobey my alpha,” he shivered and convulsed.

“What? He’s not a wolf.”

“Doesn’t. Matter,” the tranq was really taking effect.

Oliver gripped onto his throat, “You tell me what is going to happen,” he squeezed, claws ripped through his leather gloves and dug into his flesh. That seemed to be enough incentive for the submissive wolf.

“Malcolm…. destroying the…. Glades.”

“How is he creating wolves and controlling them,” Oliver’s voice became less and less human.

“Injecting… blood….. drugs,” the man slipped out of consciousness.

He was so angry, he couldn’t stop himself. Not this close to the full moon. He ripped his throat out, letting the blood run down his arm.

“Oliver,” Felicity’s quiet voice came through the comms.

He closed his eyes and tried so hard to come back down. His chest moved up and down with heavy breaths. His partially shifted hands had torn apart both gloves, he didn’t have to see his eyes to know they were full wolf and his teeth were almost completely canine.

“Come back,” she whispered.

Oliver closed his eyes as her words washed over him. So simple, yet he could feel the Beast calming. He opened his eyes to look at the blood on his hands; he watched as he slowly shifted back. A few moments longer and he would have completely lost it, and even Felicity’s voice wouldn’t have quelled the hunger of the Beast. He was still having trouble keeping it together, but he was going to get back to the foundry.

Felicity was quiet when he walked in. Roy was sitting by himself trying to stay calm. John leaned against the table with his arms crossed. No one said anything. Not that he had an answer. He took in a deep breath and just shook his head. Felicity looked away for just a moment. He could feel her worry coming off of her in waves.

“I’m fine,” he muttered lowly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Comments and messages are always appreciated!
> 
> tumblr & twitter: felicityollies


	7. The Undertaking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as you can see this fic has gotten lengthened a bit, not by much, but that could always change. I do have to say this is a pretty big chapter and I feel like I should hide under my rock. |:
> 
> fyi there’s a lot of blood and gore in this one

Eventually, Oliver was able to steady himself enough to tell John and Felicity everything he had learned. It wasn’t much, but it was something. They had to come up with a plan to take down Malcolm immediately; Merlyn’s plan, as he had mentioned, was going into effect the next night and the wolves were going to be at their full strength. Digg offered to get in touch with an old army contact. He wasn’t sure how someone from his army days was going to help, but he had to trust his partner. Felicity was busy replicating the tranq, after Oliver revealed how it was made and works on the wolf system and a few details he recalled on how it was engineered. And as for Roy… he was keeping to himself. It was getting close to the full moon night, which left him on edge and a danger to everyone around him. Oliver was thinking about chaining him up on the full moon night. Roy wouldn’t do anyone any good if he was on the loose in the middle of what could become an all out war.

Their plan came together quickly. While they waited on Digg’s contact to get back, the two of them would hit the streets. It was still early in the day, so they were hoping to hit Malcolm before night fell. Felicity could see a few heat signatures moving about Merlyn’s house. A few that were too hot to be human.

“Do you think there’ll be any in human form?” Felicity asked.

“I don’t know,” he muttered, “The one from last night had more control than Roy, but not by much. I think he was being used by Malcolm to communicate with the other wolves,” he shook his head, “There might be another.”

It bothered him that Malcolm was doing this. Not only was he turning innocent people into bloodthirsty monsters, but he was throwing off the delicate balance of the werewolf hierarchy and messing with the mentality of a pack. Instead of having a second and third in command it seemed to him that Malcolm just wanted to use them all as minions.

A hand came down onto his shoulder. He stilled and looked up to meet Felicity’s gaze.

“We’re going to get him,” she whispered.

It took him a moment to realize that he was digging his claws into his jeans.

“You should be more careful,” he pulled away from her.

She sighed at him, “I know you’re not going to hurt me.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but John interjected, “Now is not the time,” he said.

Oliver snapped his mouth shut and nodded; and they went back to getting ready. John was going to follow with the tranqs and silver bullets again while Felicity would stay behind with Roy. And Roy was going to be chained up for both of their safeties. He had no idea how long this was going to take and he wasn’t going to leave Felicity without some kind of advantage over Roy.

“If I start getting out of these,” Roy started to say as he and John headed up the stairs. His voice was hushed as if he was trying to keep his words between him and Felicity. The chains rattled and he continued, “I want you to shoot me.”

“Roy…” Felicity whispered.

“Shoot me. I don’t mean a tranq. I mean shoot me,” there was an edge of a growl to his voice.

“I… okay,” she sounded both defeated and worried.

Oliver didn’t think it would come to that. If he did, he wouldn’t have left them both down there. He and John headed towards the Merlyn estate. If it had been his choice, he would have taken Malcolm down as soon as possible, even if that meant attacking him near Merlyn Global in somewhat of a public setting. But Digg and Felicity talked him down and told him to wait until Malcolm got to his house. Felicity had also used the heat signatures of werewolves he could take down as a convincing point. He chose to leave behind his bow, quiver, and even his hood. There was no point in keeping those things on him if he wasn’t going to use them. He only had a tenuous hold on his human form, and the idea of what Malcolm was doing wasn’t making holding onto it any easier. He wasn’t going to lie, though, the thought of sinking his teeth into Merlyn was satisfying. The man was a murderer, more so than Oliver, at least that’s how he viewed him. Malcolm was going to lay siege to the Glades, killing innocent people, and for what? He didn’t even seem to care that his son, _his son_ , worked on the edge of the Glades.

Once the team had formulated a plan, his first call had been to Tommy to tell him to shut down the club for the night. There was no need to have a swarm of people in and around the club when there were wolves on the loose. Yes, he was worried about Felicity being there alone with Roy, but without people upstairs he wanted to believe that the _feral_ werewolves wouldn’t be attracted to Verdant.

Shaking his head, he focused on the task at hand. When they neared the Merlyn Mansion, he did away with his clothes, and shifted as quickly as he could. He grunted a couple of times, but it wasn’t as painful as it used to be.

“Still weird,” Digg mumbled.

He huffed at John and started to run forward, while John held his gun, ready to shoot if necessary, following at a brisk pace.

“Felicity says two at the front,” he muttered.

Oliver was already well ahead of him, but he could still hear what John said. He ran at the front gate and the metal bent slightly. It only took two more hard bashes for him to break through. Adrenaline pumping, heart pounding, and anger fueling his every movement, he charged the front door. He slammed through it scattering pieces of wood everywhere; he skidded across the floor, growling at the wolves. John was close behind, firing his gun.

The fight was vicious, or rather he was vicious. Teeth and claws, snapping, and ripping. The two wolves tried hard to take him down, but with a tranq into the side of one and Oliver’s jaws at the other’s neck they were easily brought down. They were weak, too new to understand their own strength, and too lost to the wolf. Oliver snapped one’s neck and turned to the other that had been shot. It trembled and convulsed on the ground as it shifted back to a human form. It was odd that it did so. When he tranqed the man the previous night he stopped shifting because he was already mostly human.

He’d seen wolves take the tranq before and simply get knocked out. It was almost like the wolf was searching for a last bit of sympathy, but he wasn’t sure. Maybe these wolves just had that little control over their bodies. A woman with a dart in her side soon lay where the wolf once was. Instead of speaking, she growled and snapped at them, trying to fight the tranquilizer. There was nothing human in her eyes. He looked up at John and gave one subtle nod; he returned the nod and fired one shot through her head. The silver bullet was sure to kill her.

“Have you ever seen anything like that?” John asked him.

He shook his head.

“Merlyn is sick,” he whispered, “There must be more to it than we thought… another drug or chemical he’s pumping into these people.”

Digg paused for a moment to let Felicity know what was going on while Oliver made his way up the stairs. It was odd that all that commotion hadn’t brought Malcolm out of hiding. He lifted his head, sniffing the air. The house smelled of Merlyn, of course, but he was beginning to wonder if the other man was there at all. As he neared the third floor, he smelled another wolf. Growling, he ran towards the scent. Another smaller wolf burst into the hallway, trying to get the jump on him. He gripped onto its neck with his teeth and slammed it into a wall. It whimpered and slid down the wall, but it wouldn’t stop. Oliver had to snap this one’s neck too.

Panting heavily, he journeyed further into the house. He heard a soft sound behind a door. A cry? A sigh? He waited for Digg to come up and open the door for him instead of bursting through. The sounds on the other side sounded more distressed than anything else. Something was off.

“Oh god another one,” Tommy cried.

“Woah, woah, woah man,” Digg said, “You’re safe.”

Tommy was tied to a chair in what was his old childhood room. Malcolm was using his own son to distract them. It was hard to keep his anger in check in that moment. But he had to. Tommy was someone that he loved dearly and he did not want to freak him out.

“You’re Oliver’s bodyguard,” he mumbled as John undid the ties, “Where is he?”

Whether on purpose or not, Diggle glanced towards him. Tommy followed his gaze and frowned heavily. Oliver sat on his haunches and tilted his head at Tommy. He didn’t want to come clean to his best friend, but he was going to have questions. Tommy also deserved to know why this was happening to him.

With a soft huff, he slowly started to shift. He knelt in front of his friends, covering himself somewhat.

“I think I’m going to pass out,” Tommy whispered.

He stayed where he was, “We don’t have a lot of time for explanations,” Oliver said.

Tommy stood, running his hand down his face, “I feel like I’m in a horror movie.”

“Felicity’s got something?” John muttered, “Facial recognition has him a few miles from here.”

“Who?” Tommy asked quietly.

“Malcolm,” Oliver sighed.

As the realization that his father had done this to him crossed Tommy’s face, Oliver couldn’t stop himself from feeling more angry. He wanted to comfort his friend, but he wasn’t exactly in a position to do so. The fear and confusion radiating off of him, told him that he should probably not go anywhere near Tommy.

“Take him home. Tell him what’s going on. I need to leave,” he didn’t give either of them time to argue before shifting again and bolting out the door.

Maybe it was stupid to go off on his own, but the hours were ticking by and he needed to take care of Malcolm.

* * *

“Someone’s coming,” Roy muttered from the corner.

Felicity looked up and waited to hear what he did. Several moment later the door to the basement opened.

“You should have let me take you home,” John muttered.

Felicity was confused until she heard a man that wasn’t Oliver speaking.

“It’s my father, if you can even call him that, causing this and I want to help,” Tommy said, coming down the steps quickly. He paused when he saw Roy chained up. His eyes went wide, “Woah.”

Roy gave a small wave, making the chains rattle.

“Is he a…”

“Yes,” everyone said at once.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around all of this,” Tommy practically whined.

“I would say it gets easier, but that would be a lie,” Felicity said, “But you get used to it.”

“I’m going back out,” John said, moving back up the steps.

“I’ll be here… on the comms…. waiting,” she called back up to him.

Tommy sat in a chair beside her, “I don’t understand any of this.”

“You’re still in shock,” she said, turning back to her keyboard, “It took me a pint of ice cream to work through it.”

He gave her a look.

“I stress eat.”

“Me too,” Roy muttered.

She leaned back and eyed him for a moment, “Was that a joke?”

He hesitated before speaking, “....Yes.”

She smiled, “Okay good, I didn’t want to laugh and then totally make it awkward.”

Silence filled the space.

Letting out a long sigh, she tilted her head back further to look at the ceiling, “I made it awkward.”

She looked to her screen and tried to keep an eye on Malcolm, but she was having trouble keeping him under her radar. The GPS on his cell phone had kept moving around at random intervals all over the city, making it hard to pin down his location for awhile. But she’d finally managed to get through all the cloaking and determine his location at 12th and P, an older building downtown. A security camera had brought up a blurry photo, but she was pretty certain that it was Malcolm.

“How long has he been doing this?” Tommy asked quietly.

“Hmm?” she glanced at him.

“Oliver, how long?”

Felicity wasn’t sure how much she should reveal. This was Oliver’s business and not hers, but there was also a high chance that this could all go downhill tonight.

“Must be awhile, huh?” Tommy sighed.

She focused on her screen and listened for Diggle in case he needed her, but she wished she had eyes on Oliver.

“My best friend…. he’s a monster.”

“He’s not a monster,” she mumbled.  
Roy sighed from the corner.

“I mean it,” she said, “He might not be human… and is kind of terrifying sometimes, but he’s a good man. He’s trying to help this city and save the people in it. If you think that makes him a monster then….” she sighed and shook her head.

“No… that part isn’t monstrous,” Roy said, “The part about changing into a huge wolf and wanting to eat people is,” he snapped.

She cringed. The days before the full moon were always hard on Oliver. She jokingly called it the werewolf version of PMS, but it was not taken very well. Truthfully, it was similar. He snapped easier, grumbled about seemingly everything, and he was on the verge of shifting all the time. At least she related to the grumpy part of it all. Oliver was like that until he was able to run with the moon. She’d always wanted to watch him. Just once, she wanted to see him under the light of the full moon. He seemed so refreshed the next day. Well rested, sated even. She had this feeling that even if he didn’t want to say it, it felt good to run and be free for just one night every month. But she knew he wouldn’t get that feeling tonight.

Roy was going through the snippy part and it was only going to get worse. He couldn’t run tonight. If he got mixed up with the other werewolves there’s no doubt something terrible would happen.

“Do you want a chocolate bar?” she asked.

Roy growled and turned his back towards her.

“How can you deal with this so easily?” Tommy asked.

She sighed, “It just takes time.”

Tommy shook his head, “At least I know why Oliver asked me to shut down the club,” he looked towards the ceiling, “Laurel was going to come tonight… oh god Laurel,” he stood suddenly, “I’m sorry, I wanted to help, but I have to make sure she gets home,” he rushed back up the steps.

“Okay… bye,” she said quietly.

She hoped that he would get to CNRI and get her home safely. Neither of them needed to be on the streets in the coming hours.

Now, if only she had eyes and ears on Oliver.

“John?” she asked.

“I haven’t seen him,” he answered immediately, “I’m going offline, I’ll get back to you when I can.”

“But-”

The comms went dead.

“That sounded promising,” Roy muttered.

“Oh be quiet,” she snapped at him, “His contact must have gotten back to him. He’ll be here soon.”

 _Hopefully_. She didn’t like being left out of these things. It didn’t happen often, once she’d officially joined them. They were a team, but right now everyone was stressed. Soon the streets would be full of bloodthirsty wolves. Malcolm needed to be taken out, but even then they still had the wolves to deal with. And the drug dealer that had been helping with this whole mess.

“Shit!” she slammed her hands down onto her desk.

“Told you,” he muttered.

“Shut up!” Felicity knew he was only trying to antagonize her for whatever reason and she was falling right into his trap.

She needed to calm down or their fighting was just going to get worse. There was no telling what would happen if he was pissed at her when he shifted. And she did not want to know.

“Oh crap,” she sighed, realizing that she had lost Malcolm completely, “I can’t find him.”

Roy scoffed, “Nice going.”

She made a groaning sound that was as close to a growl as she could get.

* * *

Oliver sniffed around the warehouse. It was just outside of the Glades, separated from Starling City by a creek. He’d first headed to the location Felicity had pinned Malcolm but it was a bust, except for a very faint scent. He’d followed the trail, which had him going in circles, but finally led him here. He growled and decided to head inside of the building. Much to his dismay, he slowly realized that the building belonged to one of Queen Consolidated’s subsidiaries. He wasn’t going to think about why that was; he needed to find Malcolm. He might not be there at that moment, but he would be soon enough. Merlyn had to come inside to deal with his pack. He didn’t even like calling it that. They weren’t a true wolf pack, not in the way that he had experienced on the island. Malcolm was kidnapping them off the streets, forcing people into changing, and it was disgusting.

Oliver growled as he searched through the building. What he found, though, was not Malcolm Merlyn. He stumbled upon wolves chained down; they snapped and snarled at him. Through the sounds they were making he could hear someone coming. He dove out of sight, hiding behind some crates, listening to whoever was coming. A twitchy man with an accent came into the room; he was speaking to Malcolm, who was just behind him. Oliver had to stop himself from going at him right then. A sick curiosity was nagging at him.

“This is only the beginning,” the unknown man said.

The way he spoke and his mannerisms were kind of odd. He must have been the drug dealer that Merlyn was working with.

“These wolves will turn others… and they will join your… pack,” he tapped his fingers together, “The Glades will be yours.”

Malcolm smirked, “I know.” he said.

The other man gave a disturbing chuckle. He started to move around the room, undoing the chains. They growled at him, but with Malcolm there they seemed to know to leave him alone. Oliver needed to act now.

He burst through the crates and into the room.

“Get him!” Merlyn screamed pointing towards Oliver.

He growled and charged at Malcolm. It was an immediate frenzy. Wolves coming at him, tugging at the restraints, unable to get out of them fast enough. He didn’t know how Malcolm had control of these wolves. He’d thought Merlyn needed a werewolf to help, but somehow he’d found a way to command the wolves without an intermediary. Oliver moved as quickly as he could, running through the tangle of wolves. He snapped and fought as more of them came towards him. Malcolm was escaping and Oliver couldn’t seem to get away from the damn pack.

One tackled him in the side, trying to tear into him. He could see Malcolm getting away, scrambling out the door like the coward he was. A roar ripped through his throat as he snapped at the other wolves. He wasn’t going to let these... _animals_ ruin his chance at getting Malcolm. His teeth gripped, ripping into flesh. A couple backed off, leaving him enough room to scramble out from underneath them and towards Malcolm.

Blood dripped down his muzzle and his side where he was bitten. The taste of the blood spurred him on, but it also helped him detach from his own humanity. To lose control. He caught Malcolm’s terrified scent and followed him immediately. There was no way that monster of a man was getting out alive.

* * *

“Felicity.”

Roy’s voice startled her. It didn’t sound like him anymore and considering that the moon was close to rising, it was very possible that he wasn’t with her anymore. She reached for a gun full of silver bullets.

“You need to shoot me now,” Roy growled, pulling at the restraints.

“I can’t,” she whispered, holding onto the weapon tightly. They might have only just met, but he was still so young. Almost the same age as her. How could anyone expect her to fire a bullet through his skull?

She got out of her chair and moved towards the stairs.

“All I can think about is how good you smell,” he panted heavily. His eyes glowed green as he started to shift, “I don’t think these chains are going to hold me.”

It didn’t sound like a warning anymore. No, it was more like a promise. She felt her fear rising and her heart pounding faster. Both of which were only going to spur him on. She slowly started towards the stairs. If she was quick about it, she would make things even worse. She turned to look at him one last time, he tugged harder as his muscles contorted and he started to change.

“Oh god,” she whispered.

Unable to stop herself, she ran up the stairs. She could hear him snarling and the chains rattling. Felicity burst through the door into the empty club. She closed it behind her, putting in the code, and engaging the lockdown protocol she’d installed to keep anyone from entering or exiting. A howl reached her ears from down below. Howls around the city filled the air only moments later.

“It’s starting,” she closed her eyes and gripped her gun, “Please, Oliver, please end this.”

She stayed where she was, deciding that it would be safest to be there instead of out in the Glades. She sat there by the door with her gun, not even sure how to use it properly, but she figured if it came to it she’d be able to aim and fire. Part of her was kicking herself for not grabbing a tablet in the rush to get to safety; without it she couldn’t access the satellites and try to find Oliver.

Felicity just hoped someone would come for her soon.

* * *

Every human thought left him as he chased Malcolm onto the street. Moon beams washed over him. He could feel it deep in his bones, the moon calling to him, pulling his wolf from deep within. His head whipped back and he howled at the moon. A chorus of howls followed. Malcolm was barely ahead of him. He smirked as he gazed upon the man, running out of fear. The sound of his heartbeat and the scent of his fear filled him with the drive he needed to chase and kill him.

Wolves were coming up behind him, but he didn’t care. His sights were set on Malcolm Merlyn. He bounded forward, jumping off of a nearby car, pushing further and quickly caught up to him.

“My wolves will come after you,” he spat.

Oliver growled in response.

“They’re coming.”

He leapt at him and caught him by the hand, tugging and tossing him to the ground. The wolves flooded the streets. At least a dozen of them if not more.

“Kill him,” he commanded them.

A good portion of them had already scattered into the Glades, but a few stayed behind and listened to Malcolm. Oliver bit into his leg just before another wolf came at him. They rolled, but Oliver wasn’t playing. He snapped at it’s muzzle, causing it to bleed. It whimpered and backed off of him.

“Fight dammit!” Merlyn, tried to push himself up.

Oliver growled loudly and got ready for the others. It wasn’t a fair fight from the beginning. These bloodthirsty beasts had no idea what they were doing. He tore into their throats and their soft underbellies. He received some wounds of his own, but he paid them no mind. With three wolves on the ground, barely breathing, he turned back to Malcolm.

He was standing now, but struggling to do so. Oliver stared him down, his sandy fur covered in blood, his teeth bared and dripping.

“You’re not going to do this,” he said, “You’re going to let me live. You’re not going to kill Tommy’s father. That’s right, I know it’s you Oliver. You weren’t very careful when you came back home, you know. Then you and your friends, trying to track me…. You’re fools.”

Oliver was going to play with him. Let him run and chase him, but at the mention of Tommy, he growled and ran at him. There might not be a human thought in his head, but he knew the ones he loved. The wolf shared his protective love and he was not going to let Malcolm live after daring to mention the son he abandoned, abused, and ultimately left tied up and at the mercy of those uncontrollable beasts.

He tore into him, ripping at his flesh, claws and teeth pulling him apart until there was nothing recognizable about him.

He howled again, causing a pause in the destruction around him. They knew. The other wolves knew from the sound of his song that their alpha was dead and Oliver was their new leader.

* * *

Felicity sat at the bar in Verdant with a woman named Lyla and Digg. They hadn’t been there very long. Apparently, Lyla was the contact that Digg had been telling them about. For some reason, she had pictured an older guy, but then she reprimanded herself for being so sexist. They were coming up with a plan to take care of the rest of the wolves without Oliver. While Felicity was reticent to move forward without involving Oliver, they hadn’t been able to contact him at all. It needed to be done quickly. Lyla was adamant that it be done before the sun rose. She figured that the other woman was probably right. They could lose track of the wolves or they could continue ravaging the city. Or both. They needed to end this as soon as possible.

Her eyes flickered towards hallway which lead to the basement. Roy was still down there. She swore she heard him using his body as a battering ram, but she wasn’t about to open the door and check. It might have just been paranoia anyway.

Lyla finished what she was saying.

“Do you think it’s going to work?” Felicity asked quietly.

“We don’t have another choice. If he can lead the wolves someplace closed off then we can take them down. They aren’t human anymore, Ms. Smoak,” Lyla said, “Malcolm is dead and they’re going to follow Oliver.”

“How do you know all of this?”

“My boss,” Lyla said as if that answered everything, “I work for a little known government organization and she…. She knows what she’s talking about.” There was something about the way she said it that made Felicity wonder if she didn’t get along with her boss, “When Johnny called, I relayed the message to her and without hesitation told me what to do. This is our only option.”

When it seemed like Felicity was going to say something else, Lyla continued, “She’s been keeping tabs on Malcolm for awhile, Ms. Smoak. She has eyes everywhere. I believe her when she says that this is what we have to do.”

She was such a strong and commanding woman, it was hard to even argue with anything that she was saying, though she didn’t fully agree. But Lyla was a woman that demanded respect and would easily receive it. It wasn’t hard to see that she had once been in the army. She found her attitude and the way she held herself to be admirable. And she was right, of course. There was nothing human about these wolves, so she didn’t feel bad about having to kill them. It was the whole herding them to their death, led by Oliver, where they would have grenades launched at them that bothered her. Not just any kind of grenade, but a Bouncing Betty. It would shoot silver shrapnel three feet around the wolves with enough force to embed it into their flesh.

“How are we going to get Oliver to lead them there? And won’t he get hurt?”

Lyla sighed heavily, “We’re going to need bait, someone that can pull Oliver’s attention. If we can grab his attention we can get the other wolves to follow,” for a moment she seemed like she wanted to ignore the second question, “He’s strong. Stronger than the rest of them. He should make it.”

Felicity wasn’t sure if she believed that. Or if Lyla even believed that.

“I’ll do it,” John said, “I’ll be bait.”

“No,” Felicity’s tone was harsh, “I’ll do it.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but she raised a hand.

“I know you and Oliver want me to stay out of this business, but I want to help. You’re better with a gun anyway,” she sighed, “And you’re the only one that can get him out of the line of fire.”

Lyla looked between them, “Johnny,” she said, “This is our only shot.”

“If anything happens to you,” Digg started, but stopped and shook his head.

“Nothing is going to happen to me, I’ll be fine, I promise,” she slid off her stool and moved to hug him tightly. “We need to do this. _I_ need to do this, and you know this is how it will work.”

He sighed and hugged her back, “I know.”

“It’s going to be morning soon and we need to get this done while we can,” Lyla interjected.

* * *

The wolves followed him; he picked up the strays as they wandered through the city. They listened to him better than they ever listened to Malcolm. It took him long enough to stop Merlyn that some of the wolves managed to kill a handful of people. There was nothing he could do about it now. In truth, he felt the desire to continue the hunt. Part of him was sated from killing Malcolm, but he couldn’t deny the instinct to run with his new pack. He couldn’t stop them from wanting to eat. They were wolves after all and they needed their fill.

A scream filled his ears. It made his heart pound quickly. He howled in response, pulling his pack in close. The same person screamed again. A woman, high pitched, and scared. He started towards the sound. Eight wolves followed behind him. He led them into a tunnel. The scent of the woman filled his nose and made him pause.

That familiar warm vanilla and floral scent. The fear mixed with it made a growl form in his throat. Someone was hurting his Felicity. The wolf was so angry everything else became a blur. He ran for her, not thinking about anything else. The pack followed deep into the tunnel.

“Oliver!” Felicity shouted.

He barely registered it. She looked at him with such fear. He knew he was a terrifying sight, blood matted fur and snarling teeth.

“Felicity get out of there!” John shouted.

“Just give me a second!” she called back.

Oliver growled, causing her to yelp.

“Come with me Oliver, please…” she begged as she stepped backwards.

He moved forward, following her, but the sounds of wolves behind him pulled his attention. They were antsy and hungry; they wanted her. He snarled at them.

“Come on,” she prodded.

“Now!” another woman called, “We won’t have another shot!”

He whipped his head around, looking for the cause. Felicity ran and he started to follow her. That was until a large bomb went off, shooting some kind of shrapnel into his pack, causing them to scream and howl in pain. He started to go back for them.

“No, Oliver!” she ran back, throwing her body over him just as another bomb went off.

Felicity gasped. The smell of her blood filled his nose. His wolves were dying and now she was hurt. She held onto him, gripping onto his fur as tightly as she could. He tried to get her to let go, but she held on with determination. Oliver moved away from the other wolves, dragging her limp body with him as he went. The smell of death filled the air. He could hear the whining and begging for the pain to end, from his pack, but he couldn’t pull away from Felicity. He felt like he was being pulled in two directions, but he forced all of his attention on her.

She slowly slid off of his body and onto the ground. He whined at the sight of her back. She curled up on her side, revealing several pieces of metal inside of her body, pressing into her spine and near her kidney and lungs. He whined again, snuffling at her face.

Felicity lifted her hand to his bloody muzzle weakly, “It was my turn to protect you.”

The last remnants of the full moon began to fade.

“Oh Johnny,” the woman who had shouted whispered.

Diggle made a sound like a sob.

He turned and growled at both the woman and Digg. His human thoughts were slowly coming back to him and he was angry. How could they let her out here like this? How could they put her into danger. He stood over her body protectively.

Her fingers touched his paws, “It’s my life,” she whispered, “It’s my choice.”

He could hear her heartbeat getting slower and slower. Leaning down, he nuzzled her cheek. Her temperature was dropping as well. Still in spite of this, she smiled against his muzzle. He couldn’t let her _die_ ; he’d promised he would protect her. He promised he would keep her safe and _he failed_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think! comments and messages are always welcome!
> 
> find me on [tumblr](felicityollies.tumblr.com) & [twitter](twitter.com/felicityollies)


	8. Pack Mentality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [announcer voice] we interrupt this regularly scheduled program....

Oliver ran as fast as he could. Island foliage whipped him in the face and various branches crunched under his paws. He didn’t know where he was or where he was going, he didn’t even know what he was. All he knew was that he wanted to be as far away from the soldiers as possible. And away from that woman too. She was startlingly beautiful, but there was something about her that made him want to run.

He weaved through trees and made a hard right turn. His legs carried him to the water. He knelt his head down and looked at his reflection. A sandy wolf with yellow eyes looked back at him. He snapped at the water, bit at it, as if it would rid him of this monster. It couldn’t be him. It just couldn’t. He was a person, not a huge wolf. Turning back the way he came, he started back into the jungle.

Instead of the way being clear like he’d expected, a man stood there. With his long hair and tattered clothing, he looked even more rough and wild than Oliver in his human form. Oliver had seen him once, when he had first woken up to this nightmare; before he had run into those soldiers. He skidded to a halt in front of him. His ears lay flat against his head and he snarled, baring his teeth.

“That is enough,” he spoke with an accent, but each word was clear and emphasized with authority.

Oliver started to back up, keeping his lip curled and his teeth on display. He was scared. He had no idea what was going on, who these people were, or why the fuck he was a growling beast that had killed complete strangers. And he wasn’t about to bow down to _this_ complete stranger, no matter the sudden urge within him to submit. The urge to listen was completely at odds with the one to attack the man. He felt as if both were ripping at his insides.

“Look at me,” he commanded.

He met the man’s gaze. His eyes were light grey, almost white, with an outline of black. He stared into Oliver’s yellow eyes. Something inside of him wanted to fight, but he also couldn’t move. Couldn’t obey that animal instinct. It was angering the presence within him. The wolf. He kept his eyes on the older man’s, feeling the beast retreat back. His body began to change. Searing pain was all he felt, like his body was being torn from the inside out. The stranger was forcing him to shift. He whined loudly through the change, until his human voice took over. He groaned even louder, almost on the verge of a scream.

Oliver kneeled on all fours. He was naked and exposed. His body ached, dripping with sweat from the stress of his bones breaking, shifting, and rejoining as his body contorted from one form to another.

He panted heavily, “What… the hell.”

“Daughter,” The man said.

The woman from before, the one he ran from, came forth with a large blanket. She wrapped it around his shoulders. His body flinched away from her as the fabric touched him. It took him a moment to gather himself. He swallowed thickly, pulling the blanket close. His body shivered, though he felt like he was a million degrees hotter than normal. Maybe he was sick. This could all be some elaborate fever dream and he was lying somewhere dying. Not a pleasant thought, but it made more sense than all of this.

“Get up,” she said, her voice soft and gentle.

He slowly pushed himself to his feet, “What is going on?” he asked, shakily.

“Come with me,” she continued.

“No,” he growled, his eyes flashed yellow, “I want to know what’s going on _now_.”

The man growled back, his wolf eyes clear and dominating, but the wolf inside of Oliver refused to back down. Anger like he had never felt boiled up, twisting at his insides.

“We will explain as soon as we are safe. Out in the open like this… the soldiers might find us.”

The man stood closer, staring down into Oliver’s eyes until he forced himself to look away. He could feel the wolf fighting every second. It felt like a caged beast pacing back and forth inside of him. They led him back to their campsite, small and secluded.

“My name is Shado,” she gave him some tattered clothes to wear, “I would be grateful if you did not shred these.”

He took them from her and let out a soft sigh.

“That is my father,” she gestured to the older man, “Yao Fei.”

Oliver pulled on the clothing. His fingers twitched, feeling on edge. He could hear so many sounds in the jungle. Everything from the water crashing on the shores to a bird flying overhead and some kind of rodent scuttering across the ground. Along with the sounds were an equal amount of scents. Combined, it was overwhelming. He felt overstimulated and frustrated. Squatting down on the ground, he put his hands on either side of his head.

“Too much,” he choked out.

Shado moved down in front of him and put her hands on his, “Look at me.”

He forced his gaze upward. His eyes fell onto hers. Her wolfish eyes were like the ocean, pools of deep blue, but a shade that was completely inhuman. The intent was to calm him, but the wolf was displeased. He growled and pulled away from her, stumbling back to his feet.

“He’s too dominant,” Shado said, “He will be just as bad or worse than Slade.”

“We need him,” Yao Fei muttered, “He will learn.”

Oliver didn’t know what they were talking about. All of this was so confusing and it just made him angrier.

“Try again,” Yao Fei commanded.

Shado walked to him again. “You need to calm down,” she said gently, “Breathe. In through your nose and out through your mouth.”

It sounded stupid. God everything seemed to piss him off, but he needed it all to slow down, to quiet down. So he tried anyway. In and out. In and out. He calmed somewhat. His eyes stayed gold and the wolf stayed angry.

“You will learn to control him so that he does not control you,” she said.

“What does that even mean?” he sighed.

She flicked her eyes over him. The distrust was obvious on her face. “You will learn,” she repeated.

Shado gestured for him to sit down with her and her father. He kept his eyes low and away from Yao Fei. There was no way he was going to let the growling beast inside of him go into a rage again.

She started with simple things; her father was the alpha of their pack, she was a beta, which was just below an alpha, and there were a few subordinates, neutral members of the pack, out in the forest, hunting for food for the whole pack.

“A beta… helps the alpha,” he mumbled, “But subordinates do the same thing,” he scratched his head, “But it’s a different ranking?”

“Yes.”

“What am I?”

She dragged her eyes over him again, “I don’t know.”

An acrid smell filled his nose. He crinkled it and shook his head, “I don’t believe you.”

“You are a very dominant wolf and that is all that matters.”

“Doesn’t that mean… alpha?”

“No,” she snapped, “You can be dominant without being an Alpha. There are hardly any submissive wolves, but many dominant. It depends on who is the _most_ dominant. If you think you are the most and you want to be the Alpha than you must challenge my father to a fight to the death. If you win you take lead of the pack.”

He swallowed thickly; he didn’t want that. Oliver could barely stomach the idea of killing someone else. He wrapped his arms around his legs and rest his chin on his knees.

“That is what I thought.”

The next thing he knew strange people, strange wolves, were coming into the camp and dropping dead animals at their feet. He wanted so desperately to be disgusted, but when the smell reached his nose it made his stomach grumble with a hunger he had never felt before. After Yao Fei started to eat, the others joined in. He watched for several minutes, unable to force himself forward.

“Can’t we build a fire?”

“It will draw unwanted attention,” Shado said sharply, “You do not have to worry about infections or illness now.”

Well that was a plus.

“The raw meat will also help you regain your strength. Your wolf will thank you.”

“It isn’t mine,” he mumbled.

She pursed her lips and tossed him a chunk of meat. He stared at it for a long moment before begrudgingly picking it up. It only took one bite for the hunger to take over. He ate faster than he thought possible, but after his fill, a couple more slabs of meat, he felt sated. If a wolf could purr the one inside of him would have.

Oliver didn’t realize the kind of brotherhood a pack fostered until he lost them all, leaving a hollow feeling deep in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Comments and messages are always welcome!
> 
> find me on [tumblr](felicityollies.tumblr.com) & [twitter](twitter.com/felicityollies)


	9. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [sing song voice] i think y’all are gonna like this one~

Oliver leaned against a wall with his arms crossed, “You shouldn’t have let her come,” he said lowly.

“Man, how many times are you going to tell me that?” John said from where he was sitting, “I feel like shit, but you know as well as I do, there’s no telling her what to do. She makes her own decisions and she decided to save your life.”

“She shouldn’t have,” he sighed heavily, closing his eyes.

He felt an unimaginable level of guilt. The wolves he had taken lead of were gone. Some of them dead and the others, well he wasn’t sure. ARGUS, the organization that Lyla worked for, the one that Amanda Waller ran, had come in for clean up. There was probably something off about the whole thing but he had no focus left to think about that. He already had enough to feel like shit about. He’d never had a pack of his own before and even though it had only been a few hours, it felt good to be their leader. It felt good to have wolves to take care of. The sense of brotherhood and the connection he felt satisfied his wolf. The feelings he held for those feral wolves weren’t as strong as what he felt for his team or his family, but it still left a hollowness within him. He led them to their death and felt it as the silver pierced their flesh, poisoning and killing them. There hadn’t been a speck of humanity left in them anymore, he knew this, but it didn’t change the way he felt.

It didn’t change the guilt he had about the human deaths as well. The streets were full of blood. Lives lost. No one knew who had died yet. They were unrecognizable. Not a single feature left on their faces. The only saving grace was that there wasn’t enough left of these people to turn into wolves; Malcolm’s plan had failed. But the city was still in a panic. Monsters had been on the loose in their home and they wanted answers. Unluckily, no one could give them any.

Then there was Felicity. God, Felicity. He remembered every single moment from finding her scared in the tunnel, to the bombs, and her throwing herself over his body. Why did she do that? The silver that had hit her, it would have hurt him, but he might have survived. Even if he didn’t, her life was worth so much more than his. She was so selfless and brave. And she had been right. She didn’t need his damn protection. He knew that already and still, he was determined to keep her safe; he was pissed that he couldn’t. Pissed at himself or her, maybe both. She could have kept herself from doing something so stupid and reckless. Let him do his job, even if that meant death for him. Keeping her safe was the one thing he could actually do for her without destroying her or her life. Yet, he knew it was ridiculous to even think she would let him. Her inner strength was one of the things that he completely adored about her. It was what made her the formidable person that she was. She stood up to him, knowing what and who he was. Felicity continued to work with them even when it was dangerous. She used the same intelligence, gumption and stubbornness that helped her achieve all that she had, to keep them alive on the streets.

And now….

He growled and slammed his fist into the wall.

“You’re going to wake them,” John said, sighing.

Oliver looked to him, letting out his own slow breath. He was still angry with John, but he knew why he, Lyla, and Felicity did what they did. He just wished that things had turned out differently, that he didn’t have to make the choice he had.

“I doubt it,” he muttered.

John sighed and looked down at his phone.

“Still no word from Lyla?” he asked.

“No,” Digg shook his head.

Oliver let out a slow breath through his nose. A quiet settled between them. It was only broken when a soft whimper came from down the hall. He moved quickly, bolting down the corridor and sliding into Felicity’s bedroom. She lay in her bed still asleep.

“You moved pretty quick for someone who didn’t think she was going to wake up,” Diggle muttered from behind him.

“She’s not,” he whispered, “Not yet, anyway.”

“How long?”

“I’m not sure. I think… I was out for four days, but it could be longer. She might not wake up at all if it… doesn’t stick.”

He barely knew how to explain this. He’d never tried to change someone before. 

“I’m sorry,” Digg said, his voice barely a whisper.

Oliver listened to him walk away towards Felicity’s kitchen. He sighed, moving to check on Roy, who was sleeping in the guest bedroom. When they found him, he was still chained up, but he had been pulling on the chains and throwing himself against the walls. He’d worn himself out and now he needed to sleep off the night. Oliver should have been doing the same thing, but he couldn’t bring himself to even close his eyes.

Roy was still curled up in the blankets, snoring quietly. He was fine. And so was his family, Thea and Moira at the manor and Tommy with Laurel at her apartment. He didn’t think anyone knew about the building belonging to QC yet. When everything was settled, the first thing Oliver did was call his family and Tommy. He’d barely been able to get a hold of them to find out if they were okay, but had no idea how they were dealing with the situation. Instead of being dragged back home, he told his mother he was checking up on both the club and a few people he knew. At least half of it was true.

The whole fucking situation was driving him crazy.

He sighed heavily and moved to sit next to Felicity. His eyes moved over her. She was paler than usual, it made her look ill. He touched her hand gently. Her body temperature had steadily been getting higher, but now she was wrestling with a fever. He didn’t know why he did this to her. Maybe he was selfish, unable to let her go, and let her die an unknown hero.

He used those last moments of the full moon night to sink his teeth into her arm. Let his saliva seep deep into the wound. They had to get her back to the arrow cave, as she liked to call it, quickly there after to get the silver out of her body. They did their best to clean her wounds, but there wasn’t much they could do besides wait. Wait for her injuries to heal and hope that she would go through the change completely.

His chest ached with a sadness he hadn’t felt in a very long time. A sound reminiscent of a puppy whine formed in his throat. He leaned down close to her, holding onto her hand.

“I’m sorry, Felicity.”

* * *

A black wolf stood in front of her. Larger than her, intimidating, but it made no move to harm her. She stepped close to it, put her hand on its face. It took her a moment to understand, but when she did, she let out the softest sigh. The wolf looked into her eyes; there was a mark across its right eye. A white streak of fur, a contrast to the rest of its dark coat. She rested her forehead against the wolf’s. 

There was an overwhelming feeling that pain was coming, but there was nothing she could do to stop it.

She gasped loudly, opening her eyes. Felicity barely registered that she was in her own room. Her body was on fire.

“Oliver,” she choked out.

He was by her side immediately, “Breathe,” he whispered, “Look into my eyes.”

She reached out to grab him, but what she saw wasn’t her own hand. It was starting to change, to stretch into claws. The wolf she dreamed of was trying to force its way out of her body. Her heart pounded faster as her muscles contorted.

“It hurts,” she whimpered.

“Felicity,” he breathed out.

She looked into his eyes and breathed out slowly. The wolf seemed to retreat back. She didn’t know how he did that, but she didn’t want him to stop.

“Lay back,” he guided her body back down.

“What did you do to me?” she whispered.

They both knew that she didn’t mean getting the wolf under control.

He pulled his hand away from hers, “You were dying.”

She closed her eyes, trying to remember what happened. Then it all came flooding back. She threw herself over his body, taking the silver for him. The memory made her back prickle with pain. She didn’t want to die, but how was she going to live her life like this?

“You can hate me all you want, but I couldn’t let you die,” Oliver’s voice was barely audible.

There hadn’t been a chance for her to make a decision about this, but it was hard to be angry at him for wanting to keep her alive. It’s not like she wanted to die. No, she wasn’t angry. She was just scared. What if she hurt someone? Or worse, killed someone?

“I’m scared,” she whimpered.

“I know,” he said, “But I’m not going to leave you high and dry. I promise.”

She sniffled, not realizing she had even started crying, “Where is everyone else?”

“I told them to stay away from your room for awhile,” he said, “I wasn’t sure how this was going to go.”

She looked up at him and sighed, “I don’t want to hurt them.”

“You won’t,” he said, moving closer again.

She rolled over, giving her bare back to Oliver and hiding her face in her pillow. She stayed quiet for several minutes before speaking again, “Everything hurts.”

“Your body is going through a lot,” his hand brushed across her skin, “Your back has healed at least….” he sighed, “I didn’t want you to shift right away, but it could help.”

Her lip quivered as she tilted her head to look up at him.

“I’m going to be right here,” he said.

She sniffed again, “I’m glad you decided not to be a grumpy pain in the ass today,” she joked.

He gave a soft reassuring smile. Leaning in, he looked into her eyes again. She could feel him pulling the wolf out of her this time. It was such a strange sensation, which started out as a gentle tingle, but slowly morphed into the pain she felt before. She looked away from his eyes, wrapping her arms around her body. She twisted, crying out in pain. Her body stretched and contorted, forming into the large black wolf from her dream.

When the transformation was finished, she let out a small whimper and a whine. She sat on her bed, making it sag under her weight. Her eyes moved to her mirror across the room, looking at herself. She whined louder.

“It gets easier with time,” Oliver said gently.

She opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out were weird canine sounds. It reminded of her of those videos of Huskies trying to speak.

He chuckled, “You’re kind of mute right now.”

She huffed a breath at him, but she had to admit, she was feeling more comfortable now that it was all over. Although, she had to admit that she was rather hungry.

“You’re beautiful,” he said quietly.

Felicity had never heard him say anything like that to her. She didn’t know if he was being nice because of the situation or if he actually meant it. But then again, he didn’t say those things to her when she was human. She tried to talk at him again.

“I’m sorry…. I shouldn’t have said that.”

She huffed at him again, but paused when she heard a noise. Standing at attention, she listened for it again. It took her a moment to register it, but there were so many new scents and sounds. She could smell her perfume all the way across the room. Oliver’s scent filled her nose. It was interesting and not what she expected. Usually she could smell his body wash and that salty smell of his sweat, but this was underneath all of that. She could hear birds outside clearer than ever before, there was a mother pushing a stroller down the sidewalk with a toddler, but they weren’t the noises that she was looking for.

The sound she was waiting for, a scuffle of feet from her kitchen, caught her attention again.

“Wait…” Oliver said, but she didn’t listen.

Her instincts took over. She bounded off the bed and down the hall. Felicity saw the source of the noise and tackled him to the ground. Digg landed with a thud on the floor with her on his chest.

“Felicity?” he looked at her with utter shock, “Well, I never thought you would be able to take me down.”

She growled playfully and licked his face. He smelled different than Oliver did. Digg didn’t have the same forest pine and mint thing that Oliver had going on. No, he smelled warm like citrus on a summer’s day.

“At least you’re smaller than Oliver,” he laughed.

She hopped off of him, her tail wagging. It took her a moment to realize that she could have really hurt him. Her ears went flat and she whined softly, looking from John to Oliver.

“You didn’t hurt him, Felicity, it’s okay,” he said gently.

“Yep, I’m all good,” Digg raised his hands up and stood.

She sank low on the ground anyway, feeling bad about not keeping herself in check. But she was just so happy he was there. She sniffed, but stayed quiet. At least until she heard something down the hall. Her ears moved back all the way and she growled lowly.

“It’s Lyla,” Oliver whispered.

Again, Felicity whined. Now she was growling at their allies. She pushed herself up and ran back to her bedroom like a child afraid of a thunderstorm. Roy came into her room a moment later to check on her. She was too upset to notice his scent and the scuff of his shoes against her floor before he arrived.

“Woah,” he muttered.

She growled at him baring her teeth, wanting to be left alone. He sighed and backed off. Taking his leave, he turned to go back down the hallway where Oliver, John, and now Lyla were. She could hear them talking as if they were standing beside her. It was so weird. Still, she listened.

“Amanda is looking for you,” Lyla said.

“Did she follow you here?” Oliver snapped.

“No,” Lyla began to get defensive, “I’m her second in command, she doesn’t send people to follow me.”

“Why is she looking for me?” he asked.

“She wants you to keep leading the wolves.”

“They’re dead,” his voice raised.

“Not all of them,” Lyla continued.

She could hear bodies shifting, presumably John moving in front of Lyla.

“What?” Oliver growled.

“I didn’t know that she was going to take the survivors. I didn’t know there would be any,” Lyla sighed, “There are some things she doesn’t tell me.”

“What happened to being second in command?” she could feel the anger radiating off of Oliver all the way in her bedroom.

She wondered if that was an alpha thing, to be able to exude that kind of power and wash it over her and other wolves. Unless Digg and Lyla could feel it too.

“You know how she is,” Lyla argued back.

“And what are we supposed to do?”

She sighed again, “You are going to take Roy and go incognito or she’s going to take you both as part of her little werewolf squad.”

“She wants us for her dirty work,” Oliver muttered, “I’m not her dog and I’m not doing that shit again.”

“I know,” Lyla said, “That’s why I’m warning you.”

Felicity closed her eyes and let out a long sigh of her own. She could hear everyone scattering, Lyla leaving, and frustration on another level wafting through the air. Lying there, she tried to figure out how to change back on her own, but it wasn’t working. She was so focused on it that she didn’t hear or smell Oliver come back into the room.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

Startled, she snapped and snarled at him.

“I’m sorry,” he raised his hands up, “Are you trying to change back?”

She huffed and nodded. He explained to her how to shift. It was strange, no science about it, which was something that she was going to have to get used to. She made puppy-like whines as she shifted back to human. It hurt just as much, but she managed to keep her noises down to a minimum. She panted heavily in her bed. Her body was covered in sweat; it was mildly embarrassing.

“Am I still beautiful now,” she said sarcastically.

“Yes,” Oliver spoke without hesitation.

She blushed and covered herself up with a blanket. Her nose twitched as an unfamiliar scent invaded.

“What is that?” she asked, sliding from her bed, gripping onto her blanket tightly.

She sniffed the air and followed it all the way to Oliver. Blinking up at him, she tried to figure out if the smell was simply him or if there was something else underneath. The scent was soft and musky, but in a good way. He just let her sniff him without a problem. She got a little lower, sniffing just above his belt, when she realized what the other smell was. It sent a jolt down her body, settling in her lower stomach.

“Oh,” she blushed brighter, stumbling back, _“Oh..”_

“I told you, you were beautiful,” he breathed out slowly, looking at her with yellow eyes.

She stared at him for a moment, wondering where all of this was coming from. He was aroused by her, thought she was beautiful, and was making no secret of it. But it didn’t make any sense to her. The only conclusion she could come up with was now that she was a wolf like him, she was more attractive. He wanted someone like himself and when she was human it wasn’t good enough.

_Just Felicity_ was never good enough for anyone.

“I’m going to get dressed now,” she said quietly.

“Okay,” he sighed and left the room, “When you’re dressed,” he said on the other side of the door, “We need to talk.”

She took in a deep breath and slowly pulled her clothes on. One thing that she noticed was that she could see clearly without her glasses on. It was such a strange thing. She was sure she hadn’t seen that clearly even before she got glasses as a child.

_Well, that’s one plus at least._

* * *

Oliver wanted to smack himself. He should not be tossing around compliments like that. Even if it was true. He was just going to confuse the hell out of her. She was dealing with enough as it was. With being a werewolf and now he was going to have to ask her to go into hiding with him and Roy.

He really did think she was beautiful. And amazing, stunning, wonderful, and a million other things. He felt stupid for how he’d acted towards her for months. So hot and cold. Almost losing her made him realize just how much of an idiot he was. She was a bright shining light in his life, but he didn’t think he was worthy of anyone like her. Especially not when he was the cause of essentially all of her problems, but he couldn’t deny how much he wanted her in his life. How much he needed her in his life. She was special. No hiding or denying it. She was special _to him_.

But he couldn’t hide his attraction to her anymore. Part of him didn’t want to. The wolf stood proudly as she let her nose do some wandering. It made him feel good.

Dammit.

The door opened behind him and turned towards it.

“What do we need to talk about?” she asked.

He began to explain what was going on with Amanda Waller, watching her face as she took all of the information in. It seemed that she overheard the conversation between him and Lyla. “I’m not going to let her do anything to you or Roy,” he said, “We just need to lie low for awhile.”

“Where?”

“Lian Yu,” he said, “It’s the best place for us to go. I can teach you and Roy how to control yourselves…”

“You want to take me to a secluded island?” she asked.

He paused, “Um yes?”

“No,” she said sternly.

“No?”

“What part of ‘no’ are you not grasping?” she practically growled at him.

He frowned, “Why?”

“There’s no WiFi, no technology of any sort, you cannot take me to a secluded island for an undetermined amount of time with nothing to do and no tech to touch,” her eyes flashed to their wolfish state and she actually did growl.

He held his hands up in surrender. She still glared at him with golden eyes. They were almost the same color as his, though his were mostly yellow. Hers looked like melted pools of gold with a red tinge that only added to her angry expression.

“Breathe,” he whispered.

It seemed to take a moment for her to realize what was happening. She pulled back from him, holding her wrist with one hand and pressing them into her chest. 

“It’s okay,” he said.

“No, it’s not…. I got so angry,” she sniffled, “I’m still angry.”

“Come here,” he said, opening his arms to her.

He didn’t know how else to comfort her. Even with being in a pack, there wasn’t a very deep level of emotional dependency or trust within it, but he knew that they were physical beings. Physical and emotional. Two things that he had been keeping himself from for… a very long time. Felicity moved towards him, resting her head against his chest. She melted into his touch, nuzzling her face into him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. The only other thing he could think to do was get her some raw meat. Wolves tended to be very hungry after both healing and shifting.

“I promise it’s going to be okay. Your emotions are tied to the wolf… and that means you’re going to be a little bit… on edge.”

“At least I know why you’re such a grump,” she mumbled quietly.

He smiled and rubbed her back, “It’s not all bad,” he said, though he wasn’t sure if he believed it.

“Don’t lie,” she sighed. 

That night he found himself snuggled between two wolves. They decided as a group to stay in the backup lair. Neither Roy or Felicity knew about it beforehand. Digg had been kept out of the dark regarding the building too. Oliver wanted to keep it a secret just in case their basement lair was compromised. At the moment it wasn’t safe for anyone to be in Verdant.

He shifted slightly on the floor. It was less uncomfortable because he was lying there in his wolf form. Roy was at his back and Felicity at his front. He felt strange, lying there surrounded by warmth. On a normal night he would have been in the lair alone, but he liked this. He reveled in it. Felicity moved, lying her head on his side, using him like a pillow.

He couldn’t bring himself to give a damn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think!
> 
> tumblr: felicityollies  
> twitter: felicityollies


	10. I Know Places

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really enjoyed writing this chapter... for reasons xxx

Felicity growled and charged at Oliver. She threw herself into his side, knocking him off kilter for at least a second. He snapped back, but she jumped away from his snarling teeth. She bared her own teeth, her ears flat against her head. Running at him again, she used as much force as she could to hit him and make them both roll. The playful energy sparked between them like static electricity on her fur.

“I’m starting to think you two are playing,” Roy muttered.

She couldn’t hold the angry facade. Felicity got up, but her front legs stayed down and her backside was up high. Her tail wagged happily. So, maybe they were playing a little, but training sucked. It made her feel better to run around like this, knowing she wasn’t going to hurt either Roy or Oliver.

“I’m already tired of being here,” he pouted.

Felicity wondered if he meant _here_ as in the backup lair, she had completely refused to have anything to do with Lian Yu, or _here_ in the room with her and Oliver.

Oliver shifted back and stood. She was jealous of how easily he did that. Her eyes moved away from him as he stood there naked. She couldn’t stop the arousal she felt when she saw him like that. He was such an attractive man, an attractive being…. with a very nice butt.

“Man,” Roy said, crinkling his nose at what she could only assume was her arousal If she could have blushed in her current form she would have. Before Oliver could speak, Roy continued, “You two have problems you need to work through.”

She looked up at him and huffed.

“I’m not staying here another day with you two,” he grumbled.

“Roy, it’s not safe,” Oliver called to him.

“I’m just getting some air,” Roy said without looking back, “I won’t be seen.”

Felicity shifted with a few whines and groans. The more she went back and forth the easier it got, but she was so far from doing it without pain.

“Is it weird that I’m starting to get used to being naked,” she said half jokingly.

Apparently werewolves really didn’t mind nudity. They all got used to each other rather quickly. Oliver, though, seemed to be a little snippy about her modesty. She wasn’t sure why, but there had been several times when Roy glanced her way and he _growled_ at the younger boy.

“No,” he said without looking at her.

She frowned, reaching for her clothes, “Can I ask you something?”

He started to tug on his own clothes, “I have no idea what Roy was talking about.”

An acrid smell filled her nose.

_Liar_. “That’s not what I was going to ask,” she mumbled, “What was it like for you when you were changed?”

“Terrifying,” he turned back towards her when he had sweats on, “I landed on the island and… buried my father,” he sat down beside her.

She moved a little closer to him.

“I was hurt, dehydrated, and sick from being on the sea alone for so long. I don’t even know how many days it was. I lost track.”

She felt like holding her breath out of fear he would stop talking if she made any noise. Felicity had never had the guts to ask him this before, but she desperately wanted to know. She didn’t want to push him too far though.

“If this is too hard,” she started to say.

“Felicity,” he said sweetly, “I’ve never told anyone about this.”

“You don’t have to…”

“I want to. I want to tell you.”

She let out a shaky breath, “Why?”

“I care about you,” he said, “I….” the words he was searching for seemed hard to say. “I trust you,” the words finally left his lips. A sigh of relief followed as if saying it took a weight off of his shoulders.

She stayed quiet after that.

“I was wounded again… and I was close to death. I vaguely remember seeing a gray wolf come at me. I thought that was it. I was going to die right there,” he let out a long breath, “It bit me and started to drag me through the jungle. I passed out from the pain and woke up days later. I didn’t know what was happening. An older man stopped the pain, he stopped me from shifting, but I ran after that. He let me. I did a terrible thing… I was so _scared_ I shifted when strange men tried to take me somewhere,” he let out a shaky breath, “I killed them.. _slaughtered_ them… I hadn’t meant to.”

Felicity had no idea that his first real memory as a werewolf had been so brutal. To have his life turned upside down, have this important moment always tied to blood and death… it made her grateful that he had made hers so calm. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, putting her hand on his arm.

He leaned into her touch, “It’s okay.”

She swallowed thickly. He spilled his guts to her and she wanted to say something to him, to make him understand how much she valued his honesty. She was scared to; she didn’t want to get hurt if she finally decided to tell him she had feelings for him. It was more than just being attracted to him. She thought he was a good man, someone that wanted to keep his city safe, someone that cared so deeply about his friends and family, and yet couldn’t articulate it. There was so much love in him. He was a kind person, even when he tried to hide it, and he was brave, strong, and so many other things she could hardly put a name to.

But… she wasn’t going to tell him. Oliver said he cared for her, but not like that. She was still so confused by him. How he could suddenly be attracted to her once she was changed. Maybe it was just the fact they were spending so much time together. She was the only woman he was being subjected to. But then again he’d been acting as if he were attracted to her since she woke up from her four day sleep. Either way, it hurt more than she wanted to admit.

She took a deep breath, but didn’t pull away from him. The beast within was harder to convince when it came to wanting Oliver. They’d been stuck together for four weeks and it felt like eons. Their wolves called to each other. It was like a tug in her chest; a restlessness and a hunger. Her very soul longed for him. She wondered if he could feel it too.

He trained her both in wolf and human form, wanting her to be able to defend herself. It was strange not needing her glasses and being nearly as strong as him. The agility and grace that Oliver had with both training and his transformation might come to her with practice, but she was still herself…. just a little furrier. Oliver helped her through her first full moon, just a few days back. All three of them were trapped inside of the backup Arrow cave, she couldn’t feel the moon’s beams on her, but she could still hear its call. It was like a beautiful lilting song, floating on the air, and whispering to her to be free. The call would have been so much stronger outside, at least that’s what Oliver told her. He guided her through the motions of being a werewolf and made her feel _normal_. She struggled a lot at the beginning, feeling so scared of herself, but she was slowly becoming more comfortable in her own skin.

There were times when she started to lose control and he was there for her, talking her down. Even when she was cruel.

 

_She started to shift; she couldn’t control herself to make it stop, “You did this to me,” she growled, pain lacing her voice. “You turned me into this… this monster…”_

_He growled back, his wolf unamused with her attitude, but Oliver held back. Roy stayed back, away from them, afraid of what would happen if he interfered. She fell to her knees and he followed._

_“Don’t touch me,” she dug her claws into the ground._

_“Felicity,” his voice was low, “You’re stronger than this.”_

_He put his hands on her shoulders. She trembled and tears flowed down her cheeks. Slowly, but surely the change came to a stop. Her slightly shifted jaw and teeth became human again as well as her hands. She was left kneeling in front of Oliver feeling tired and shaken. Felicity hated that her emotions were so tied to the wolf. She felt controlled by it. She got so angry and upset and the next thing she knew, she was falling over the edge.“I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I didn’t mean it…. You know I don’t blame you, right?” She looked up at him with big, blue, tear filled eyes, “I don’t think you’re a monster.”_

_“Shhh,” he wrapped his arms around her._

_His warmth engulfed her. She swore she could feel his wolf, pulling her in protectively._

 

In the month they had been stuck together, she had learned so much about him, and he about her. But being so close to him _all the time_ made her body ache. Felicity wanted him before the change, but now it was an intense need. It made the feelings she had about him so much more confusing.

“Felicity,” he breathed out, leaning close to her.

The tension between them rose. Their shared moment becoming intense. Their lips hovered so close to each other, but he was waiting for her to make the next move.

“We can’t,” she finally said, pulling away from him.

Her instincts and her body were screaming at her brain.

“Why?” he asked, looking at her with such intensity.

“Because,” she pushed herself up, “You didn’t want me before you changed me.” Putting some space between them seemed to help, “If I wasn’t good enough for you then…” she shook her head.

“What?” he stood, “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t know I liked you, Oliver.”

“Liked me?” his brow furrowed, “I knew you were attracted to me… It’s hard not to know.”

“And you didn’t want me back,” she said, feeling tears prickle at her eyes.

“Felicity, god… I’ve wanted you more than you can imagine,” his voice was low, “Not because of your attraction to me…. or because I was attracted you. I’ve wanted you since…” he trailed off, but she wanted to know what he was going to say.

“Since?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he whispered, “I think you’re beautiful… and so sexy.”

She turned away from him, not sure if she could believe him. There was no tremor in his heart, no scent to tell her that he was lying, but still he could just be trying to get into her pants.

“I’m not lying to you,” his breath was heavy.

“Then why didn’t you tell me sooner? Why did you make me think that this was one sided?” she sniffled.

“Because I didn’t want to hurt you!” he shouted.

“Don’t you think I would have liked a say in this?” she shouted back, “You could have told me and we could have tried. I would have said yes!”

The tension, the sexual frustration, filled the room. It was going to drive her crazy. She needed desperately to be touched. Oliver growled as if he could sense her desperation.

“I didn’t feel worthy of you,” he said quietly, “I still don’t,” his words were slow. He was trying to keep himself together, “I have wanted you since the minute that I saw you, but it’s more than that Felicity. I fucking care about you,” he sucked in a deep, steadying breath, “I am afraid to lose you… what we do it’s dangerous…. and I am not a good person. There’s no telling how badly I could fuck this up.”

“I care about you too, I do,” she mumbled, “I didn’t think you wanted me at all….” 

Oliver again growled almost angrily, but she knew the anger wasn’t directed at her. He moved quickly, pulling her close and pressing his lips to hers. She melted into his touch.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I don’t want to lose you…. I _need_ you,” he pleaded against her lips.

Her chest ached with a desire she had never known before Oliver. She needed him in her life and he needed her. She could feel it from their connected lips, a buzzing warmth that spread to her fingertips and toes. They cared for each other more than she could have imagined in the beginning. She wanted to melt into him and lose herself in this feeling.

She leaned back just enough to tug her dress off. He did away with his sweats. They came back together, their lips meeting with just as much heat and passion. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nipped at his lower lip. Groaning, he granted her access into his mouth.

He carefully moved them down to the floor, keeping their lips attached for several more minutes.

“You smell so good,” he moaned as he dragged his lips away from hers and down her neck and collarbone.

“Oh god,” she gasped.

Her noises egging him on, he kept moving downward. He wrapped his lips around her nipple, sucking and giving a gentle bite.

“Oliver, please!”

He growled and released her nipple. Slowly, he moved to her aching core. She spread her legs for him, glancing down as he settled between them. He took in her scent, breathing deeply and looking up at her with yellow eyes. His arousal rose off of him, filling her nose and making her ache that much more.

He gave a primitive growl before leaning in and dragging his tongue up her slit. She moaned like she hadn’t been touched in years. His tongue lapped at her folds, tasting and savoring her wetness.

“Fuck,” she rolled her hips upward, but he moved his hand to press down on her stomach, keeping her in place.

He took her clit into her mouth, sucking on it roughly. She moaned and wiggled underneath him. He let go with a pop, delving back down lower. His tongue pressed inside of her, probing her walls. She gasped louder. Her hands shifted slightly, replacing her nails with claws. She dug them into the concrete.

He slurped her wetness and licked at her folds. Oliver drank her in like the starving wolf he was. He moved back to her clit, working it with his tongue mercilessly, but he didn’t let her climax. Just as she was about to hit her peak he pulled back. She growled and lunged at him. Her already delicate control had waned.

He moved quickly, catching her and falling back onto the ground. Felicity crashed her lips into his, kissing him fiercely as she straddled his chest. She could taste herself on his lips and god it was turning her on even more. Oliver rolled them over so he was on top again. Instinctively, she turned onto her stomach and then moved to her knees. He dragged his cock through her folds, teasing her again.

“Oliver,” she practically snapped.

He slammed into her, filling her completely. His cock stretched her walls in the most delicious way. Her body shivered with pleasure. He thrust into her over and over again. Their bodies meeting with an erotically wet sound.

“Oh god,” she growled.

Her thighs began to quake and her walls clenched around Oliver, pulling him in deeper. She moaned over and over again. Her claws dug into the concrete, leaving long marks as she finally climaxed. He didn’t let up. His hands gripped onto her thighs, she could feel the pinpricks of the tips of his claws on her skin as he continued his rough thrusts. The sensation only added to the experience. She cried out, waves of pleasure washing over her. He gave one hard thrust into her, coming undone and coating her walls with his seed.

Oliver held onto her tightly until he was through. She slumped forward, breathing heavily. Everything shifted back to normal as she lay there, trying to catch her breath. He pulled out and moved to lie beside her. Without hesitation, she moved towards him. She nuzzled into his chest and neck. He wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her back.

She felt a sense of belonging, there in his arms, but she also felt a slight possessiveness. Okay, slight was putting it mildly. What they had done was more than just relieving the tension. She knew it was too fast, but she could just feel it, a strong connection… a bond between them, had been feeling it for a month. And now she could feel their wolves calling to each other. He was hers and she was his. It was strange. Yesterday, they had been nothing more than friends. Or had they been? She knew, since the day she met him, that she had the desire to be around him, to know more, even if he was laying some crazy lies on her. She was drawn to him. And if Oliver felt something for her even longer than she felt something for him, maybe they had been fooling themselves.

Who cares. It didn’t matter. What mattered was the here and now.

“Mine,” she growled into his skin.

He breathed in deeply, “Yours,” he whispered.

Content with his answer, she closed her eyes and let herself relax completely.

* * *

Oliver did not expect that to happen. It all came so fast. The tension, the arguing, and then it just snowballed from there, but because of those things it was so very _them_. Lying on the ground with Felicity in his arms made it difficult for him to even want to question it. He was tired, but sated in a way he could barely describe. If they were moving too fast now, he didn’t care. He would never forget the feeling of almost losing her, of watching her slip away from him, and waiting for her to come back from the brink of death. That was something he never wanted to experience again.

His fingertips caressed her back gently. Several scars peppered her skin from where the shrapnel had pierced her. Silver wounds never seemed to heal properly, if his own skin was any indication. She nuzzled into his neck again, letting out the softest sigh. He closed his eyes and reveled in the feelings she gave him. For once he did feel at least somewhat worthy. She wanted him, she cared about him, and god if that didn’t make his heart pound like never before.

There was still a part of him that wondered if she would be better off with another man, a better man than himself. But the selfish part of him wanted to hold onto these feelings and never let go. He felt more than just their physical attraction, more than the deep caring too. It was like her soul was calling out to him, pulling him. She had always drawn him in, but he never understood it. He still didn’t understand it, really. But it didn’t matter.

What did matter was the shiver that ran down his spine when she claimed him as her own. It was all he wanted. He wondered if it made them…. mates, but that was one part of the werewolf culture that he’d never spent time learning. Oliver never thought he would ever need to know that kind of thing.

Now he wished he had someone to talk to.

Felicity nipped his shoulder, drawing his attention away from his thoughts, “Sleep,” she mumbled against his skin.

He chuckled lightly and nuzzled his face into her hair, “I will.”

Closing his eyes, he let himself relax for what seemed like the first time in years. He slipped into a deep sleep and for once seemed to avoid having nightmares.

His phone vibrating across the room woke him several hours later. Carefully, he peeled Felicity off of him, though she growled at him in the process.

“Hello?” he mumbled groggily as he answered his phone.

“Roy’s with me,” Digg said, “Though if what he told me is true, you probably haven’t noticed.”

He blinked and scratched his head, “Is uh is he okay?”

“He’s fine, just got tired of you two,” John laughed, “Or rather… being a third wheel.”

Oliver rolled his eyes.

“I have news for you,” he continued, “Waller’s got her eyes set on building another squad. The non-werewolf kind. Something about criminals….” he sighed, “I don’t know, but she’s out of Starling for the moment. Lyla said it should be safe, if you lie low.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, “Are you sure? It’s only been a month.”

“Don’t worry, I’m suspicious too. It doesn’t make any sense, but… I trust Lyla.”

He sighed heavily, “Alright,” he muttered, “I’ll talk to you later-”

“Wait,” John cut him off, “You’ve also got someone that wants to speak to you.”

“Who?”

“Tommy.”

Nausea flooded him. He’d been relieved to hear Tommy’s voice and confirm he was alive, but when Tommy wouldn’t even talk to him on the phone, he worried that his lifelong friendship was over.

“Shit,” Oliver groaned, “Is he mad?”

“I don’t know, man, but he’ll be at Verdant all day.”

“Okay… thanks,” he mumbled.

The phone call ended and he turned to see Felicity watching him.

“I can go home now?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Thank god,” she pushed herself up, “No offense, but I miss my bed.”

He snorted and shook his head.

“Maybe… Maybe you could share my bed with me?” she continued, “If that’s not too forward,” she started to blush, “We just did… that and it was amazing, but.. but if you don’t want to move that quickly.”

He felt the widest, most genuine smile pull at the corner of his lips. Followed by a laugh.

“You’re laughing…. why are you laughing,” she blushed harder.

He leaned in and cupped her cheeks, kissing her sweetly, “You’re cute,” he mumbled against her lips.

She gave a soft giggle, “I’ll take that as a yes we can share my bed,” she kissed him back.

“I would really like that,” he let his hands glide down her body.

It was so easy to get lost in her. He could have kissed her for the rest of his life and died a happy man. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his. He groaned against her lips. As much as he wanted to be with her again, he had business to attend to. He started to pull back from her and she whined.

He nuzzled her nose gently, quieting her whines, “Let me take you home.”

It was hard to separate after being together for a month, but somehow they managed. He left her at her apartment, only feeling a little worried. If someone came for her, she would have no trouble defending herself, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried.

Oliver discovered that the farther he got away from her house the more he wanted to turn back. He didn’t like the feeling of being away from her, but he didn’t want to seem clingy or needy. It wasn’t that kind of feeling anyway. He didn’t know how to explain it. Sighing, he shook his thoughts away and focused on the fact he would be seeing Tommy very soon. There was no telling what his friend was thinking. He had been hiding so much from him and now because of Oliver, Tommy’s father was dead.

When he reached Verdant, the first thing he saw was not Tommy. Roy was at the bar with Thea of all people. She giggled and he gave her a smirk that made Oliver want to drag Roy away by his shirt collar.

“Ollie,” Tommy’s voice came from near the stairs.

He would deal with Roy later.

“Hey,” he said softly.

Tommy was hesitant, but Oliver didn’t sense fear from him. It was more nervousness than anything else, but there was a lot weighing on him.

“I needed some time to process everything,” he stepped closer, “I still need time.”

Oliver slid his hands into his pockets, trying to be as unintimidating as possible. Tommy nodded up the stairs to the storage room. He followed his friend up the steps and they disappeared behind the door.

“The whole werewolf thing…. it freaks me out,” Tommy said honestly.

Oliver swallowed thickly. He could smell the mix of emotions his friend was feeling; the sadness, confusion, and anger. It made his chest constrict. He stayed quiet and let Tommy speak, not wanting to make things worse.

“He’s dead,” he said, “Malcolm…. my dad. You were going after him…” he trailed off and met his gaze.

He gave a single nod.

“God I knew you did it,” he whispered.

He wasn’t even going to defend himself.

“I was so angry when the police called me. I couldn’t go in to identify him, there was nothing left to identify.”

Oliver swallowed again. He had a feeling that this was going to be the last time he spoke to Tommy. With a long sigh, Tommy brought his hand down over his own face, rubbing downward and settling at his mouth.

“But your friend Diggle,” he said, moving his hand down to his side, “He told me that everything that happened in the Glades was because of Malcolm. My dad kidnapped me and used me to confuse you and your team. He left me, literally, to the wolves,” he shook his head, “He tried to murder the people in the Glades… and you stopped him.”

Oliver raised a brow.

“A handful of people died, but it could have been more…” he paused for a moment and sighed “I just don’t know how to deal with the fact that you killed him… it’s a lot to handle, Ollie…”

He sighed, his shoulder slumping, “You can hate me….”

“I could never hate you, I’m mad… was mad but I don’t hate you,” he took a step closer to him, “He wasn’t a good man,” he said quietly, “I don’t know if he ever was and what he tried to do to those people….. He was sick.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you did the right thing, but I still need time to get used to all of this,” he gestured at Oliver.

A small smile formed on his lips, “I thought I was going to lose you.”

Tommy took another hesitant step forward and wrapped his arms around Oliver’s middle, “You’re not going to lose me.”

Oliver happily hugged him back.

“I have to say something, though,” he said, pulling back.

Oliver’s brows went up, “What?”

“I think I liked you better as a wolf.”

And just like that they slid back into their usual teasing. It warmed his heart. He knew he was still going to have to wait until their relationship was completely mended, but this was a good start.

He rolled his eyes, “Why does everyone say that?”

“Because you’re like a big _big_ fluffy dog.”

Oliver groaned loudly, “You’re worse than Felicity.”

“Speaking of… are you done pretending you don’t have a thing for her?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think!
> 
> tumblr: felicityollies  
> twitter: felicityollies


	11. The Calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so close to the end..... ((i don’t want it to end))

“I decided it’s a good thing I never got a cat,” Felicity said as she snuggled into Oliver.

He turned his head and huffed a breath as if to ask _“Why?”_

“What if I ate it? I would never be able to forgive myself. And cats are probably not kosher...”

He made a sound that was close to a laugh.

“You think I’m joking, but…” she trailed off and shook her head.

She tapped on her tablet, which she could do at a speed she never could before, looking to see if any leads has popped up in regards to Amanda Waller or the drug dealer, whose name they discovered to be Cecil Adams aka The Count. The team was in agreement that they needed to stop both of them. Someone with the power to turn anyone into a werewolf with a needle and an IV bag full of _whatever_ , needed to be stopped. And as for Amanda Waller… she was just crazy.

Felicity set the tablet aside and moved to snuggle into Oliver’s fur. They had gone running together that night. It was such an amazing feeling. Wind blowing in her face, running beside Oliver, and not caring about anything. It wasn’t a full moon, but that didn’t matter. The little sliver of moon that shone on them still called to her.

When they came home, she shifted back to check on her scans. She nuzzled into him, enjoying the softness and warmth of his fur against her bare skin. It’d been a little over a week now, since they’d unintentionally began living together. Oliver hadn’t moved all of his things from the mansion but then again he didn’t have much of an attachment to his materialistic possessions. More importantly, he’d adopted her place as his own, his response to going home became coming back with her to this safe cocoon. Seeing him feel so free, to be who he was, in what’s become _their_ space, was thrilling also so satisfying to her wolf. Working around each other’s schedules was _different_. When it had been all three of them together, they got up at the same time, went to bed at the same time, and it was probably a little unhealthy and weird. Now their schedules were shifting. He got up early in the morning to work out. She didn’t appreciate being woken up before the sun was up, but he tried to be quiet. The scent of his sweat woke her some mornings, no matter what he did to stay quiet. She wouldn’t have complained, but it had been decided that they needed to work on controlling themselves better. They couldn’t give into those animalistic instincts that told them to pounce on each other.

She and Oliver hadn’t even had sex since the first time, but that same day after returning to the Arrow Cave, she’d been on verge of tearing his clothes off in front of everyone. Roy had to leave the room _again_ and promptly yelled at them to deal with their problem. In a lot less nicer words. Felicity agreed, she knew she needed to keep control of herself. It made her a bit crabbier than usual, but everyone could live with it. Or risk getting their heads bitten off. She knew it was better to learn control and probably better to take things slower. They had basically dove into… whatever they were head first. She didn’t know what to call what they had. Were they in a relationship? Boyfriend and girlfriend or was it more of a… wolf thing? She liked him _a lot_. It was more than just a liking, obviously, but they hadn’t stopped to talk about anything. The idea of having that conversation terrified her.

Oliver turned his head again and licked her cheek.

She closed her eyes and gave a soft giggle, “Mmm I could fall asleep right here.” 

He lay his head flat on the ground and thumped his tail on the ground.

“Glad you agree,” she relaxed against him, using him like a giant pillow as she drifted off to sleep.

Felicity only woke when she was rolled onto the floor. Even then she was still mostly asleep. Her face down in the carpet and her nude backside completely on display. Oliver took advantage of this and nipped her gently on the butt. She squealed loudly and looked up to see the giant sandy wolf trotting away into the bedroom. Growling playfully, she followed him. When she got there he was already transformed back to his human form. She ran at him, but he caught her. He fell back onto their bed, holding her close. She growled again and nipped at his chest.

“Ouch,” he faked pain, but quickly followed it with, “I deserved that,” and laughed.

“You did,” she smiled and leaned up to kiss him.

He kissed her back slowly and sweetly. His hand moved up her side and to her breast, massaging the mound of flesh.

She groaned, but was starting to slow his movements, “Don’t tease.”

“I’m not,” he whispered against her lips, “I want to ask you something.”

“What?” she leaned back, trying not to get growly.

“Do you… uh do you want to.. I don’t know… go on a date?”

She couldn’t help but laugh a little, “We’re making out in _our_ bed and you’re asking me out on a date.”

He returned the laugh, “I know… we kind of did all of this backwards, but… I want to do this right.”

She looked into his eyes and let out a slow breath. A date seemed like a formality at this point, but there was something so sweet and romantic about Oliver asking her anyway. He was so nervous, she could hear his heart fluttering in his chest. Knowing that he did want to do this right and he was committed to this, _to her_ , was actually turning her on even more.

“Okay. A date,” she said, moving to straddle his chest. Her wet pussy settled against his warm skin, “But right now, I _really_ need you,” okay, she was going to have to work on the whole control thing a lot more, but he started it.

He waggled his brows at her, “I think we have some time for that.”

Felicity pinned him down, though he could have moved her if he really wanted to. It was still weird to her that she had strength that rivaled his, but she was completely okay with using it to her advantage. She dragged her body across his chest, her wetness collecting on his skin. It elicited a low growl from him. She smirked, rolling her hips against him again.

“Now who’s being the tease?” he mumbled as he put his hands on her thighs.

She giggled innocently, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she dragged her pussy from his abs to his chest again.

A moan fell from her lips when her clit hit his muscles.

“Do it again,” his voice was low and gravely.

The smell of his arousal hit her like a train. She drank it in and thrust her body against his again. He held onto her, helping guide her movements. Her thrusts slowly became frantic, searching for the friction that would give her the sweet release her body craved so much.

“Oliver,” she groaned, whipping her head back.

“C’mon, baby.”

She began to tense, “Ohh god,” she gasped.

Felicity ground into him, moaning out his name over and over again as she climaxed. Panting heavily, she slumped forward a little. Her thighs and his chest were wet with her juices. She watched him, dragging his eyes over her, lingering over her wet thighs, his nostrils flaring.

“Come and get me,” she breathed out.

He rolled them over quickly, dropping her onto the bed. She spread her legs for him and he happily dove in. His tongue lapped up her wetness, licking up her sensitive pussy. She arched her back into him. He gave a few more long licks before moving up her body. His hand gripped her thigh, bringing it up so that her foot rested against his ass. He dragged his hard cock through her folds, pulling more groans from her lips.

“Oliver,” she whined, wanting to feel him fill her.

He obliged, sliding into her with ease. Their bodies moved together, rough and needy. He filled and stretched her over and over again. She dug her fingers into him, pressing hard enough to bruise. He twisted his fists into the bed sheets and slammed into her harder.

“Fuck!” she shouted, her voice on the edge of a growl.

He smirked as their hips met again. This time he didn’t pull out, but instead ground his hips into hers, rubbing his pelvis against her clit and brushing the tip of his cock against her g-spot. She could hardly keep it together.

“Oh…. god… ahhhh yes!” she screamed.

Her walls clenched around him; her body tugging him in deeper. She shook beneath him, moaning out his name.

“Felicity…” he hissed, thrusting in one last time as he reached his own orgasm.

He panted heavily on top of her. Carefully, he slid out of her. She moaned at the loss of contact. The first time they were together, she had been ready to sleep afterwards; it had been so new, so fast, and just so good. This time was different. She was so fully of energy. There were so many things she was learning about herself and one of them was that her stamina was incredible. She leaned up, kissing him again.

“You’re insatiable,” he moaned.

“I think that’s your fault,” she mumbled against his lips.

“Maybe.”

* * *

They eventually forced themselves to get ready for the day. Oliver was never going to get tired of being with her. He was so sated and relaxed. Not just in a physical sense. He could feel his inner wolf calm. There would always be a part of him that was on high alert. He couldn’t help that, but at least he could feel relaxed for the first time in years.

Although, he did love being with her intimately, part of him wondered if that’s all there was to it. She staked her claim on him in a physical moment and since then they hadn’t talked about anything. It gave him hope that she agreed to go on a date with him. He was just being silly. That’s what he told himself. She said she cared about him, she liked living with him, was so open in sharing her home with him, and it wasn’t like she was keeping him around just to fuck. No, she wouldn’t do that to him. He was just insecure.

Felicity left to go to QC. She still wanted to work there, but had been a little scared to dip her toe back into the human world. With all of the shit going on in the city, QC had been shut down for several weeks, but as the names of the lost came to light, funerals were had, and people had time to grieve, employees were coming back to work. He had a feeling that his mother was banking on good PR from letting her employees rest in the midst of all the pain and loss. It was needed after it came to light that the wolves were being stashed in a QC building; his mother was lucky no one could prove she had anything to do with it, but he had a feeling it wasn’t going to go away so easily. Moira also wanted Oliver to try to come back instead of focusing on his _hobby_ , Verdant.

Instead of following through on his mother’s wishes, he went to visit Thea. When he walked into the Queen Manor, he immediately knew that someone else was there. Roy. He narrowed his eyes as he followed the scent of the other wolf to his sister’s bedroom.

“Thea?” he called, keeping his voice calm.

“Jesus,” Roy whispered.

“Just a second, Ollie.”

“What are you doing in there?” he opened the door, swinging it wide.

Roy practically threw himself off of her bed and Thea tugged her shirt back on. Oliver felt his skin prickle with annoyance. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Roy, it was that he didn’t trust the control he had. He didn’t want his little sister to get hurt.

“We weren’t doing anything,” Roy stood and brushed himself off.

“Mhmm,” he narrowed his eyes, “You… out here, I want a word,” he pointed at Roy.

He visibly swallowed and nodded.

“Don’t kill him,” Thea called.

“I’ll think about it,” Oliver walked down the hall with Roy.

“It’s not what you think,” Roy whispered.

He rolled his eyes, “It’s exactly what I think,” he muttered, “But what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Dating your sister.”

Oliver let out a slow breath through his nose.

“I’m being careful. We haven’t done anything,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “I really like Thea. I don’t want to hurt her, but I’m not going to let fear control my life.”

He knew that was a jab directly at him. If Roy followed in his footsteps and let the fear of hurting people dictate his every move… he was never going to be happy. He couldn’t ask that of him and he wouldn’t. At least, like Felicity, Roy was doing better in regards to keeping his wolf under control.

With a long sigh, he nodded, “Keep her safe,” he said quietly.

They walked back to Thea’s room.

“Are you done interrogating my boyfriend?” she asked with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

The smile on Roy’s face when she called him _her boyfriend_ made him realize just how much he liked her. It was nice to see him happy, this sullen kid who he’d found lost on the street, confused and without a family. Oliver brought him in and very quickly considered him part of his pack, his family.

“Yeah, I guess,” he gave a nonchalant shrug.

Thea rolled her eyes, “Is that the only reason you were here?”

“Can’t a brother want to check on his sister? It’s been a while.”

She sighed, but nodded, “It has been. I was worried about you,” she dropped the faux anger and ran to him, throwing her arms around him.

He closed his eyes, hugging her tight, “I’m sorry I haven’t been coming by much.”

Oliver spent the afternoon with both Thea and Roy. They watched movies in the living room. It felt like old times with his little sister, with only one or two small changes. The two were considerate, at least, and didn’t subject him to seeing them cuddle or kiss. He could see that Thea was just as happy as Roy was, even if they had only been dating for a short time. Oliver knew for a fact that sometimes you meet someone things just click…. if you let them.

When he left the manor he went straight home. He hadn’t felt fully at home since he returned from the island, but being with Felicity in her space, surrounded completely by her, making it their space had made him feel the safest and most like home. His wolf was even content in the townhome, surrounded by her scent and warmth. Felicity wasn’t home yet when he got there, so he left her a text to let her know where they were having dinner and quickly got ready. He wanted to get to the restaurant and make sure everything was set up and ready for their date.

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous, but it was a good kind of excited nervousness.

Oliver put one of his good suits on and left their home. The restaurant he picked was one of the best in Starling. He didn’t want to throw around his last name as much as he used to, but he also wanted to treat Felicity to something nice. She deserved it more than anyone. He sat at a small table, sipping a glass of scotch while he waited for her. The freshly lit candle, in the middle of the table, flickered and the soft sound of pleasant conversation filled his ears.

An hour ticked by and he began to wonder where Felicity was. He sent her a text, but didn’t get a response. Maybe she was just busy at work and it was taking longer for her to get out of there. He sank low in his chair, watching the candle dwindle down. Was it stupid to worry that she was standing him up? If she didn’t want to go on a date, she would have just said something, right? And if she were busy at work, she could have found a spare moment to at least text him so.

Panic, worry, and fear nagged at him. It felt like a flood of emotions that weren’t his own and for a moment he wondered if everything was okay. Oliver absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder, feeling an odd and painful ache. He closed his eyes and tried to sort through his feelings, but he felt like a jumbled mess.

He sucked in a deep breath and told himself to relax; he could wait a couple more minutes before _completely_ losing it.

Finally, after almost three hours of waiting, he went back home. He felt another swirl of emotions; worry, sadness, disappointment. The only two reasons he could see that she hadn’t shown were being busy or changing her mind. And he was really beginning to think it was the latter. He reached the townhome and saw that the lights were on; he deflated further.

“If you didn’t want to go on a date you could have said no…” he said to himself as he neared the front door.

He stopped, though, when he realized the door had been broken open. Frowning, he listened for any movement inside and sniffed for something out of the ordinary. Underneath the smell of Felicity, he discovered something strange. He pushed through the front door and quickly looked around. The place was a mess, but more importantly her phone was on the ground and so were bits of red fabric; a piece of clothing torn in the process of shifting. There were also several spots of blood and a bullet nearby. He growled as the realization hit him.

“Waller,” he ground out.

The pain, the extra distress… it had been Felicity. God, he was a shit Alpha. He let himself get so distracted by his own feelings that he didn’t keep himself alert enough to take care of his pack. To take care of Felicity. As an Alpha it was ingrained in him to want to care for others and he was failing _again_.

He reached for his own phone, pulling up Digg’s number, “John,” he muttered as soon as he answered, “Get Lyla on the phone and to the foundry…. now.”

“What’s going-”

“Felicity is missing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!
> 
> tumblr: felicityollies  
> twitter: felicityollies


	12. Missing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh how i enjoyed this chapter.... but then again i love writing oliver freaking out... _because it’s oliver freaking out about felicity_ i mean c’mon

Felicity stood barefoot in her living room. She struggled to put in her earrings. Half of them she had to throw out because they had been sterling silver. That had made for a pleasant morning- touching all of her jewelry, burning her fingers, to see if she could wear them. It didn’t matter now. She was getting ready for her date with Oliver and she was so excited. Excited and nervous, but mostly excited. Honestly, she would’ve taken at least three benzos if she thought they would have had any kind of effect on her.

“Dammit,” she fumbled with her earring and lost it to the floor.

Before she could even pick it up there was a knock at the door. She slowly stood up. Eyes flashing gold, she sniffed and listened. She didn’t sense anything out of the ordinary, but she also didn’t know who the people on the other side of the door were. There was definitely more than one. She took a step back, not wanting a confrontation. All she wanted was to get out of there and get to the restaurant to see Oliver.

“We know you’re there, Ms. Smoak,” a steady male voice called to her.

She growled in response, “Leave me alone. This is your only warning. I don’t want any trouble.”

One of them slammed into the door. It wasn’t the sturdiest thing to begin with and it only took a few bashes to bust the lock. She started to shift out of both fear and anger; she couldn’t stop it once she had started. Oliver was always the one that helped her come down when she got upset. She fell to her knees as her body twisted and contorted. A scream ripped from her throat. Her clothes were shredded into pieces, but she wasn’t worried about a stupid red dress. Two men burst into her home armed with catch poles. They had been expecting her to shift. Who the hell were these people? She growled and snapped, going right for the poles, trying to tear them away.

“We need more hands,” one of the men called.

More men with catch poles rushed her. The noose cables went around her neck, tightening and choking. She fought as much as she could, pulling and trying to bite. Felicity thrashed and threw some of the men in the process. Furniture broke, but she paid it no mind. She wasn’t done fighting.

It was the click of a gun that made her pause.

“I am not above shooting you, Ms. Smoak,” it was a woman’s voice.

The woman stepped closer, her intimidating demeanor overshadowing her slight build. She panted heavily, trying to reach her paw up to get the cables off her muzzle.

“I would stop doing that if I were you,” the woman pointed her gun at Felicity, “Come quietly.”

She snapped and snarled at her. The other woman pulled the trigger, sending a bullet flying through her shoulder. She yelped in pain. The men took the opportunity to get her restrained.

“The next one will be silver,” the woman said, sliding the bullet into place.

She whimpered softly as the bullet eased its way out of her shoulder and hit the ground with a few drops of blood. It pained her to give up so easily, but it was obvious it wasn’t this woman’s first rodeo. She was walked out of her own home like a dog being taken to the pound. It was both humiliating and infuriating.

They took her into a large van. Felicity was surrounded by this woman’s minions. The woman in question was watching her with a subtle smirk.

“Amanda Waller,” she said, “I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”

Felicity growled quietly.

Amanda chuckled, “I’m also sure that you want to know what this is about.”

She didn’t respond that time.

“Oh, Ms. Smoak, you can be angry all you want, but it’s not going to change the fact that I won and you are sitting here right now.”

She made the tiniest movement and a man near Waller lifted a large gun. The restraints on her neck and muzzle were tightened.

“I don’t want to kill you. That’s not going to get me what I want,” she crossed her legs and settled her hands on top of her knee, “I need Oliver and you are going to bring him to me.”

Felicity hated this woman more and more by the second. She was conniving and evil. All she cared about was building her little squads. Using those poor people who couldn’t even constitute as human anymore, wanting to use Oliver, and now using her to get to Oliver. It was disgusting.

She wanted very much to tell Amanda Waller to go fuck herself and that Oliver would never lead those wolves for her, but that would require being nude and she wasn’t down for that.

Amanda smirked as if she could see how much Felicity wanted to say something to her. “You’re going to learn that in life, disappointment comes often, Ms. Smoak.”

The rest of the ride was quiet. She was taken to a large nondescript building. One of ARGUS’s many secret facilities, no doubt. They carted her off to a holding cell. It consisted of a large door, a plexiglass window, and a poor excuse for a bed made from concrete jutting out of the wall, a thin mattress and pillow, and an even thinner blanket. They brought her in and slowly took off the restraints. She wanted to snap and growl, but as soon as the thought seemed to enter her head a slot in the wall opened up. Out slid a gun pointed directly at her. The men backed out of the room while she stared down the weapon. She jumped to the left, it followed; she jumped to the right, it followed.

“If you contain yourself, no harm will come to you,” Amanda’s voice came through a speaker somewhere she couldn’t see.

She could however see groups of ARGUS agents, scurrying about the room on the other side of the glass. Leaning up, she pressed her paws against it and let out a long whining howl. Either none of them were deterred by her or they couldn’t hear her. She thought it might be the latter, but she could hear dulled whispers and the typing on keyboards. Then again, her hearing was now extremely good.

Amanda walked by the window, but didn’t look at her. Lyla came following quickly behind, “You weren’t supposed to take her,” she said.

“If I remember correctly, I am your superior, Michaels,” Amanda said sternly.

Felicity watched them, ears perked and listening intently.

“I’m not saying that you aren’t,” Lyla said, “But I thought you were focusing your attention somewhere else.”

“Is that what you told your husband?” Amanda was now out of view, but she could hear the smirk in her voice.

“Ex-husband,” Lyla corrected her quietly.

Felicity growled. Amanda was a master manipulator, using all those at her disposal, however she needed to. The gun on the wall gave a warning sound, causing her to quiet down. Her ears lay flat, more upset than angry. She was holding tight to the reins she kept on her wolf. Her thoughts were in control, but if she let the Beast come out completely there’s no saying what would happen.

Lyla reached down into her pocket for her phone. She turned to answer it and began walking away from Amanda.

“I expect our guests to arrive soon,” Waller called to her.

Oliver was coming for her. Of course he was. He wasn’t going to leave her behind. He would come in arrows flying, growling and ready to tear Waller apart, except that’s exactly what the woman wanted. She wished he wouldn’t just run headfirst into the situation, but god if she wouldn’t do the same for him. That’s what scared her, she knew she’d go to any length for him, and she hoped he’d at least take some time to plan or get back up. He didn’t need to come in here and risk getting himself hurt or worse end up making a deal with Amanda. She circled the room, whining quietly.

“Amanda,” a male voice spoke this time.

“Director Waller,” she said icily.

“Of course, of course, my apologies…. _Director Waller_.”

Felicity pressed her paws to the glass again.

“What did you want?” she asked, coming into view again.

“I’ve put together another batch,” he said with a giddy grin.

This seemed to brighten Amanda’s mood, “Good as soon as Queen signs on we can produce more. It _is_ going to work better than the first time, yes?”

The man nodded, “They should hold enough of their… humanity for them to be good little soldiers,” he giggled.

That sound seemed strange emitting from someone named The Count. Even stranger coming from someone who was the creator of those feral and dangerous creatures. His mugshot didn’t do him justice, not that he was an attractive person to begin with. No, he had a very slimy quality to him. He was twitchy and used very strange hand gestures as if he weren’t entirely all there. She would believe it, being that he was a drug dealer and all. Or at least had been before Malcolm got his hands on him and now Amanda. She almost felt sorry for the bastard. _Almost_.

* * *

“I’m sorry,” Lyla said.

“Sorry?” Oliver snapped, “ _Sorry_? She’s been kidnapped!” his voice didn’t sound human anymore.

Digg stood between them, “This isn’t her fault, Oliver,” he kept his voice steady, “Waller was using her too.”

He let out a slow breath, but it was hard to control himself. Felicity had been taken by Amanda Waller of all people. The sick twisted bitch wasn’t letting this werewolf thing, that Malcolm had started, go. Oliver balled his fist and slammed it into the metal exam table. It dented under the force of his punch. He wasn’t really mad at Lyla. He was pissed as hell at himself.

“She’s being held at a secret facility,” Lyla said, “I can take you to her, but Amanda is expecting you.”

His chest moved up and down with heavy breaths. He needed to calm down enough to make a clear decision, but all he could think about was Felicity.

“What are they doing to her?” he asked lowly.

“Nothing,” Lyla said quickly, “When I left she was in a holding cell,” he could hear that there was something she wasn’t telling him.

“And?” he growled.

“She shifted when she was taken and hadn’t shifted back,” her voice shook, “If she stays calm, she won’t be hurt….”

“God dammit,” he had to force himself not to punch all the way through the table, “I already know she was shot once tonight…” remembering the blood and the bullet on the living room floor made him want to flip the table entirely, “Waller better hope that nothing else happens to her.”

He wasn’t exactly talking to anyone at this point.

John sighed behind him, but Lyla was the one who spoke again, “You need to calm down, Oliver,” she said, “You can’t go in there guns blazing. There are innocent people in there.”

“Innocent?” he roared, “How can you tell me that anyone involved with _ARGUS_ is innocent,” he took a direct jab at her, which she didn’t miss.

She stood straight, staring him down in a way that was dangerous to do when facing an alpha wolf. It was hard not to take it as a challenge to him, to his wolf.

“Are you going to tell me that you weren’t innocent when Amanda was using you to do her bidding?” she asked, calmly, “That you had a choice in the matter?”

He panted, but stayed quiet.

“It’s a job, Oliver,” she continued, “We’re just doing what we have to do to survive. You should know that better than anyone.”

Digg looked between the both of them, seeming worried that something was going to happen, but Oliver stayed where he was. He pressed partially shifted hands into the metal table and let out the longest breath. Lyla was right, he knew she was right, but that didn’t mean that he had to like it. He rolled his shoulders back, trying to shake out the tension, but it wasn’t going anywhere. There wasn’t going to be any relief from this stress until Felicity was in his arms again. His body vibrated with the need for her to be close and the need to tear into the person responsible for her being away from him _and_ in pain.

“We need to get her, _now_.”

Oliver fought hard to keep himself from shifting before necessary. He had to sit in the back of the team’s van quietly while Digg drove and Lyla sat in the front seat. Roy was out with Thea and that was fine. It was better for him to be out of this mess. When they reached the ARGUS headquarters, he had to take a few calming breaths before Diggle or Lyla would let him out. He could have ripped the damn doors off if he wanted to, but he knew they were trying to help. It wasn’t going to do any good if he ran through the building harming relatively innocent agents. He didn’t _want_ to hurt random bystanders, he was just so _angry_ at Amanda.

His control on his wolf was very thin. He couldn’t let go of the reins and leave the wolf to do whatever he wanted. If he did, no one would make it out of that building alive.

With some reluctance, he handed over some tranqs to John, “Don’t let me kill anyone….” it went unsaid that if push came to shove and John had to use tranqs on him, the most important thing was to get Felicity out.

He let Lyla walk them in and take them directly to Amanda. When Waller’s scent hit his nose, he let out a low growl.

“Tell me where she is,” he snapped as soon as he saw her.

He didn’t have to wonder where she was for long. Felicity slammed her paws against the glass window and let out a long howl. It was cut off when a shot rang out. The howl formed into a yelp of pain, followed by a whimper. Oliver’s eyes went from human to wolf in a matter of seconds.

“I told her not to do that,” Amanda shook her head.

He growled, but stopped himself from lunging at her. They still needed to get Felicity out of there.

“Let her out,” he punctuated each word.

“Not yet,” Amanda crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Oliver stood tall, refusing to back down, “Whatever you think you’re getting from me it’s not going to happen.”

“You and I both know that I always get what I want.”

He growled again.

“You’re going to lead the werewolves. They can go on missions that an average human being cannot, but I need a leader. Merlyn was an idiot. He had no idea how to control the beasts, but you do.”

“They aren’t even human anymore,” he hissed.

“The first batch wasn’t.”

 _The first batch_. She spoke about them as if she were baking cookies, not forcing innocent people to become werewolves, “You’re making more of them,” he muttered, “You’re sick.”

“At least I’m not snatching them off the streets,” she said like it made it any better, “We’re taking volunteers.”

He was in front of her before anyone could blink. His hand wrapped around her throat, lifting her off the floor, but he didn’t squeeze tight enough to cut off oxygen.

“Let her go and give up this twisted shit,” he demanded.

“You’re going to let me go, Mr. Queen,” she said, glancing behind him.

He could feel eyes on him and hear several clicks of guns. At least two of which were John and Lyla.

“And You’re going to do what I want… or Felicity is going to be taken down to the lab where Mr. Adams will be doing some testing.”

His eyes moved towards the holding cell again, but this time he noticed the man standing by, the drug dealer from before, and he was watching Felicity with an excitement that brought Oliver’s rage to the edge of boiling.

With as much restraint as he could muster, he set her down on the ground again.

“That’s better,” she said, taking a tentative step back from him, “Do we have an agreement now?”

He let out a shaky breath and nodded.

She snapped her fingers and the few people in the room moved to put away their guns and get the cell opened, but when they pulled her out it was with restraints. Felicity had cords from catch poles wrapped around her muzzle and neck. They were treating her like a wild animal.

“Precautions are necessary,” Waller said.

“She’s still a person,” he snapped.

As soon as it seemed like they were going to bring her to him, they changed direction and moved through a door. The Count followed.

“That wasn’t part of the deal,” he couldn’t stop the shift from happening now.

“Amanda, bring her back,” Lyla shouted, “You said she wasn’t part of the plan.”

“Plans change,” Amanda didn’t seem worried, “We need a live subject for testing.”

“Shit,” John muttered from behind.

“Johnny, go!” Lyla pushed him towards the door, “I’ve got this.”

Oliver growled as his clothes tore and he shifted completely. He saw John running through the door that Felicity had been taken through. Part of him wanted to follow, but the other part wanted to tear into Amanda. God, she deserved it. He bared his teeth to her, snarling and getting ready to pounce.

Lyla moved in front of Waller, causing Oliver to let out a tremendous roar.

“Get out of here, Oliver,” she hissed, pointing her gun at him.

He had half a mind to tear into her too, but he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. Oliver wasn’t the inhuman beast that Amanda seemed to think all werewolves were. He wasn’t going to rip apart the woman that seemed so important to his best friend, his second in command, and his pack mate. No matter how much she was pissing him off at the moment. The most important thing was Felicity.

He snapped at the both of them before turning towards the doors John and Felicity had gone through. It didn’t take him any time at all to pick up her scent and follow. He only paused when he heard the sound of a gunshot behind him. Lifting his head, he looked back, but didn’t see anyone. It must have been Lyla or Amanda, but he didn’t have time to go check now.

He burst through another set of doors and found a sight that made his entire body vibrate. He felt like a volcano erupting as he gazed upon Felicity up on an exam table. It was obvious that she had been tranqed all drowsy eyes and soft whimpers. John had his gun pointed at The Count while two of the men that had restrained Felicity were pointing a gun at her and now him.

Oliver made a split second decision. He went for the drug dealer. The man laughed as Oliver’s jaws clamped down onto his shoulder. Behind him guns were firing. He heard bodies hit the floor and the smell of blood and death in the air.

“Oliver!” John shouted.

But he didn’t listen. He ripped into The Count’s neck, tearing into the jugular. The only reason he pulled back was to watch him bleed to death, choking on his own blood, a crazed smile still on his face.

Felicity let out a long, but soft whine. He immediately pulled away and ran to her. His paws went to the exam table and nuzzled into her neck. She was barely hanging on to consciousness. He was still so angry, but she was safe and he was going to get to take her home. That was the most important thing.

“Amanda is dead,” Lyla said as she entered the room.

“So is The Count,” John muttered, before putting a silver bullet through the drug dealer’s head, better safe than sorry.

“We need to take out the rest of the werewolves. I want this operation shut down completely,” she continued.

If Lyla was to take over ARGUS, which he assumed because she was second in command, she already seemed to be doing a better job of it than Amanda. He didn’t care about that, though. He snuffled Felicity’s cheek and licked at her muzzle. She leaned into him and closed her eyes, finally succumbing to the tranquilizers. Oliver had no idea how they were going to get her out of there.

“Can you handle the rest of the wolves,” John asked.

Lyla sighed, “If you could come with… I don’t think Oliver is moving any time soon.”

She was right. He wasn’t going to leave her side. Felicity was breathing steadily which he was grateful for, but he still didn’t want to move.

It was another two hours before he was back at their home. With some spare clothes from ARGUS he was able to carry Felicity out of the building with little to no effort. She stayed knocked out through driving and getting her into the house. He set her on the bed and let out a long breath. That was the second time he almost lost her. The second time he nearly lost complete control of himself. He did kill a man that night. The Count wasn’t a good person. He’d done what he had to do, but then why was he feeling _guilty_.

Ever since Malcolm and the wolves, he’d felt different, and it just made him hate the wolf that much more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!
> 
> tumblr: felicityollies  
> twitter: felicityollies


	13. Mates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! I almost can’t believe it. The final chapter. I’ve had so much fun writing this fic and I love this AU so much. It’s honestly been amazing. Thank you so much to @the-silverforked-sky for being an awesome beta and thank you to @gothsmoak for the beautiful cover art. I’m still in love!
> 
> and thank you to everyone that read, commented, messaged me about the fic, and just enjoyed it!

Felicity woke with a start. One of the last things she remembered was being tranqed in her cell and dragged out and towards a lab. She stood on the bed growling until she realized that she was growling at Oliver. Moving forward, she licked at his face and nuzzled into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed the top of her head.

She pulled back after several minutes so she could shift. It took more out of her than she expected and a few whines left her lips as she flopped onto the bed.

“Are you okay?” he asked, moving to lie down beside her.

“Relatively,” she sighed.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, settling his hand on her stomach.

She looked into his eyes, “It’s not your fault.”

“It is,” he bit down on his lip.

She searched his face and suddenly felt a sick feeling in her stomach, “What are you thinking?” she asked quietly, “If you’re thinking about ending this because of her,” her lip trembled, voice cracked, and her eyes flickered gold.

“No,” he whispered, “No, I’m not going to leave you. I can’t…. I can’t be without you.”

She felt the same way. Closing her eyes, she took a moment to regroup before asking, “Then what is going on in that pretty little mind of yours?”

“A lot,” he murmured.

She sighed again, her heart feeling heavy, “Talk to me?”

“Soon. I promise. Right now I want you to get some rest. You’ve been through a lot.”

Felicity didn’t want to sleep. She wanted to talk to him and find out what was going on. It wasn’t right to leave so much unsaid and just turn in for sleep, but he didn’t want to budge on it.

“Okay…” she climbed further into the bed and got under the covers, her back turned to Oliver.

He sighed, “I swear to you, we will talk soon.”

“Okay,” was all she would say.

They lay there in silence for awhile. She was tired, but her mind wouldn’t quiet enough for her to sleep. Not with something hanging between her and Oliver. If he wasn’t going to break up with her then what was he thinking so hard about? It worried her. Deep in her bones, she knew she was meant to be with him. There was no way around it. She already claimed him as hers. The wolf, claimed him as her mate. She felt their wolves, their souls, calling to each other. Her wolf reached out to his, it begged to be near him, and demanded that she listen. She felt both protective and possessive of him. She couldn’t blame the beast entirely because it was still her too. The wolf may be a different physical form, but she shared her head and her heart. Her wolf was like one of the pieces out of many that formed her personality and her very being. The two parts, human and wolf, came together and they loved Oliver with everything that they had.

“I love you,” she said quietly.

“What?” he asked, as if he didn’t hear her.

She rolled over and looked him in the eyes, “I love you,” she repeated.

He stared at her for a good few moments. She pleaded with her eyes, needing desperately for him to say it back.

“Felicity… god…” he reached out and touched her cheek, “Felicity, I love you too.”

Hot tears prickled at her eyes. She sniffled as they spilled down her cheeks. He wiped at them, blinking away his own.

“I love you so much,” he whispered. A secret just for the two of them.

But she didn’t want secrets.

He breathed out slowly, “Don’t look so scared, please? I’m not going anywhere.”

She nodded slowly.

“After everything that has happened… I’m just worried that I’m not the man you need. I’m not a good person… the wolf… it’s… I’m….” he struggled with his words.

“We’re not monsters,” she said, sniffling again.

“You don’t kill people…”

A few tears rolled down Oliver’s cheeks.

“Stop,” she whispered, “You’re not allowed to talk about yourself that way.”

He pressed his lips together.

“You’re not a monster. You’re a good person who cares so much about his family, friends, and the city he lives in,” she put her hand over his heart, “You do what you have to do to survive. You do what you have to do to save those in need.”

“But the wolf…”

“Is a part of you…” she wiped away his tears, “The wolf fights for the ones you love just as much as you do. And I know that you’ve had to kill people for the ones you love, both terrible and innocent people. But I don’t… can’t see you as a monster for it. Not when I’d do the same to keep you safe.”

He looked at her like she was crazy.

“The world isn’t black and white, Oliver. You’ve killed some terrible people, for survival first, then for the mission, but maybe that’s not the only choice anymore. Maybe you don’t have to keep doing that. You have a team now Oliver; you have me. And we have your back always. You can find another way and we’ll help you. I don’t want you to have so much strain on your soul,” she leaned in and kissed his chest right over his heart, “I love you. Every part of you. From the part of you that secretly likes to cuddle to all the dark and sometimes scary bits. All of it,” she placed another gentle kiss.

He let out a long shaky breath, “I love you too... “ he sniffled.

“You are my mate, Oliver,” she rested her chin on his chest and tilted her head upward, “I’m still learning about all of this stuff, but I know my body. I know this feeling. They… our wolves call to each other and mine has claimed yours.”

He pulled her up so that they were eye level again, “You are my mate,” he repeated, “My lover, my soulmate…. I never want to be without you.”

Their lips met, soft and sweet. There was no neediness. It wasn’t a desperate carnal kiss like the ones they shared before. Felicity poured her soul into the kiss and drank his in. Her hands moved up his body, gently caressing him. She intertwined their legs, pressing their bodies close together, but making no move to take this further.

When their lips separated, she moved to kiss his shoulder and chest.

“Mine,” she growled, biting onto his collarbone. She bit just hard enough to puncture his flesh, letting a couple drops of blood spill into her mouth.

He buried his face in her neck, giving his own bite to the tender and vulnerable flesh, a few drops of her own blood fell upon his lips, “Mine,” he returned her growl with a deeper one of his own. She could feel it vibrate in his chest.

Electricity pulsed through her. She could feel it form into a thick bond between her and Oliver. Shared blood, shared flesh, and shared souls. Maybe it happened by accident or maybe it was the instinct of their wolves that truly tied them together.

She released him and kissed the spot before nuzzling into him. He did the same, but left several soft kisses on her neck and collarbone. She relaxed against him, closing her eyes. Felicity felt at ease in his arms. She had a vivid image of their wolves curled up together, at peace, and in love.

“Do you feel it?” she whispered.

“Yes.”

The draw between them before she was a wolf was intense, but becoming a werewolf had not only intensified the pull but also strengthened their connection and need for each other. In their little pack they could sense each other’s distress as well as pick up on strong emotions through body language and scent. But what she was feeling that very moment was something different. She could feel her own happiness, but there was a vibrating warmth inside her chest that was not her own; Oliver’s joy felt different from her own, but it was magnificent. It would take some getting used to, being able to sense someone else’s emotions, but she didn’t think it would be a problem.

It was easier to let sleep come to her now that they’d talked. Everything was out in the open and it felt like a weight was lifted off her chest. She loved him more than she thought she could ever love another person. The girl who grew up hating herself and thinking that she was unloveable, found herself in the arms of the boy who thought he was a monster and unworthy of love. But they loved each other flaws and all.

She just hoped that he would learn to love himself just as much as she loved him.

* * *

Oliver held her close, reveling in her warmth and adoration. He almost couldn’t believe it. She loved him, but he could feel it. He could feel her love and warmth radiating in his own heart. It wrapped around him like a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night. The wolf had quieted and calmed at her words. Finally. The wolf was one of the reasons he put on the hood to begin with. He gave the wolf an outlet by becoming the vigilante, but he was just splitting himself in half. The wolf was still a part of him, but he had rejected it. For years he pushed the wolf aside and forced himself to remain in control, never letting it seep into his life as Oliver Queen. He thought it was better that way, but it just created an internal struggle. But his mate knew him. Felicity knew him inside and out and she loved him anyway. It was going to take time for him to accept what she said and what she did, accepting his wolf. It was hard to understand, but he would try.

The other things she said, their wolves calling to each other, he felt it deeply and he was relieved that she did too. It was such a strange sensation to feel so wanted and understood. He never wanted to let it go. The blood sharing, it had confused him at first. He was so in the moment that he was sure the wolf had taken over. But he was happy that it did. He was bonded with Felicity; he could feel the thick tie between them as if it were something he could actually grab and hold onto.

He had his mate, he had his family, and his pack, though they all intertwined. All he had to do was keep them all safe. That was the hard part, but he knew he was going to go down fighting before he let anything happen to any of them ever again.

He moved to lay on his back. Felicity followed immediately. She was sleeping heavily, but that didn’t matter; she buried her face in his chest, curling around him and interlocking their legs again. He thought she was the cutest damn thing. With a content sigh, he closed his eyes and let himself drift into an equally deep sleep.

At some point in the night, Felicity had climbed all the way on top of him. Her small frame resting easily on top of his; her hair spread out across his chest and in his face. His arms wrapped around her protectively, breathing in her scent. She wiggled on top of him, causing a bit of friction. He groaned quietly. She wiggled again and this time he knew she did it on purpose.

“Felicity,” he mumbled.

“Hmmm?” she hummed innocently.

“Tease.”

She giggled and leaned up a little so she could look at him. Her face was soft with early morning sleepiness. She lay her head on his chest, tilted to the side, keeping her eyes on him. He could look at her forever.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

“A beautiful tease?”

He smirked, “Exactly.”

Quickly, he rolled over, putting her on her back. He kissed her sweetly and lovingly. Her fingers moved through his hair, gripping gently. The heat built up between them, but they kept things slow. Fingertips moved across skin, causing goosebumps. He could feel the spark between them with every touch. Electricity pulsed through them. He’d never felt something so real and alive with another person. His lips moved downward, kissing at her jaw and neck. She extended her neck to the side, giving him more room.

He nibbled at her skin, sucking and biting gently, eliciting more sweet moans from her lips. His hand slipped down between them, trailing across her stomach until he reached her core. He bit down rather roughly just above her breast.

“God,” she moaned.

He smirked as he sucked at the skin, wanting to mark her. While he did so, his fingers found her clit. It was already swelling with need. He slowly rubbed it in circles. Her fingers tangled in his messy hair.

“Oliver,” she whined.

He kissed the spot he had just marked, slipping his fingers further down he felt just how wet and ready she was. He could smell the arousal, so strong and warm, but feeling it too just made it that much better. Oliver leaned up and brought his fingers up too. Felicity was panting as he he put his fingers to his lips and sucked her sweet wetness off. He couldn’t help smirking at the look on her face. Mouth open, eyes blown with lust, she was practically begging him without saying a damn word.

He stroked his cock a couple of times before moving to settle at her entrance. Slowly, he pressed in, enjoying each second of penetration. He moved inch by inch, savoring the feeling of her wet, warm walls.

“Fuck,” he whispered when their hips finally met.

She wrapped her legs around him and dug her fingertips into his side. Without wasting another second, he started to thrust in and out of her. He didn’t want to pick up the pace, though. He wanted to take his time and it seemed that she did too. There was no need to be quick or rough like they had been before. This was more than just sex. She was his mate and they were bonded through more than just their bodies.

“I love you,” he breathed out.

She panted and nodded, “I love you too.”

They moved like this for awhile, slowly and sweetly, enjoying the feeling of each other’s bodies.

“Roll,” she muttered.

With ease, they flipped so that she was on top. Lying on his back he had the most breathtaking view. He watched as Felicity rolled her hips in his lap, her eyes closing as she took him deeper. He couldn’t resist her, needed to be closer to her, to feel her. Tightening his grip on her hips, he sat up, bringing his knees to rest against her back, surrounding her completely. She looked into his eyes before leaning in and kissing him again. He happily kissed her back, taking her tongue into his mouth. Felicity ground her hips into his; he groaned loudly into the kiss.

His hands moved down to her thighs, gently squeezing them. He loved this woman so much; he couldn’t get enough of her. All he wanted was to touch every inch of her, keep her close in his arms, and forever taste the sweetness that was her lips. He wanted to spend forever with her and he hoped that she could feel it.

Because with every kiss he told her without words, “I love you. I want you. I need you. Forever.”

Felicity’s hips slowed and she moved her kisses to his neck and chest. The softest, sweetest kisses she had ever given him as if she were replying, “You’re mine. I’m yours. I love you. I can’t live without you.”

“Felicity,” he breathed.

She looked into his eyes again, “Oliver.”

He could feel his orgasm getting closer and closer. Their movements, for the first time since they started, became a little more needy and frantic. They chased each other, searching for that release. She tumbled over the edge first. Her walls tightened and pulled him in deeper.

“Oh god,” she gasped, keeping her eyes on his.

He refused to look away from her. His thighs shook and his balls tightened. He felt his cock give a violent throb, shooting his cum inside of her, coating her walls.

“Fe-li-ci-ty,” he choked out.

They slowly came down. He lay back on the bed while she slipped off of him and rested her body against his.

“I love you so much,” he whispered.

She nuzzled into his chest, “I love you too,” she peeked up at him a little, “Promise you’ll never leave?”

He let out a slow breath, “I promise you, I will never leave you. I will always be here for you,” he took her hand and kissed her fingertips gently, “I don’t think I would survive without you.”

It might have sounded dramatic, but it was true. His heart and soul needed Felicity and she needed him too.

“I promise the same to you,” she kissed his chest.

He knew deep inside that the only thing that would bring them apart was death, but even then he would fight his way back to her. It didn’t matter if it was impossible. He made a promise and he intended to keep it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!
> 
> tumblr & twitter: felicityollies


	14. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I forget to say there was an epilogue? 
> 
> Honestly, I was going to wait until Wednesday, but I’m being impatient af today. Thank you again for coming along with me on this wonderful journey. I hope this makes up for their interrupted date ;)

Normal people go on dates in restaurants or movie theaters. They go on long walks surrounded by other couples, but Oliver and Felicity had given up on trying to be normal. Restaurants and theaters were too loud for their sensitive hearing. Being around a lot of people in general could be over stimulating. There was never enough food for either of them anyway. So what did they do? Bought twenty burgers to share, of course.

“This is my favorite part of being a werewolf,” Felicity said, resting her barefeet up on the dashboard of Oliver’s porsche.

“What?” he asked.

“Eating six Big Belly burgers and not gaining any weight,” she giggled.

He shook his head, but gave her an amused grin.

Felicity had discovered, much to her joy, that as wolves they had to eat more protein and calories than humans, especially when they were shifting. Going from one form to another took a lot of energy, which could only be replenished with food. Raw meat was the best way to go, but Felicity definitely preferred stocking up on calories through burgers before a change.

Oliver ate his food one handed while he drove them out of Starling and towards a forested area to the northeast. It was about an hour and a half drive, but it was better than shifting within city limits. This was how they wanted to spend their dates. What could be better than escaping the bright lights and noises of the city and letting their wolves run free for a short time?

Starling was quiet for the time being. John was on patrol with the medium sized brown wolf that was Roy at his side. Lyla had eyes and ears on the city too, though she was busy with ARGUS. It was safe for she and Oliver to have a break and their team seemed adamant that they go out from time to time. Wolves cooped up in the Arrow Cave tended to get antsy. Felicity had discovered that being a werewolf made it hard to sit still anyway, which was a pain in the ass when she was trying to work, but she managed.

By the time Oliver pulled up to the wooded area the burgers were gone and the back seat was full of wrappers.

“Ready?” he asked, parking the car.

“Duh,” she smirked.

She got out of the car and began stripping her clothes off. Oliver always folded his neatly, setting them on his seat, while she crumpled hers up and tossed them down onto either the floor or the seat.

He came around the car just as she finished. The door shut and he tackled her to the ground with a growl. She growled back, her eyes flashing gold and red. He leaned down kissing up her toned abs, another perk of becoming a werewolf was her muscles becoming lean and toned as a result of all the running and shifting, and moving up her body.

“This is not what we discussed,” she murmured.

“No?” he nipped at her breast gently.

She growled again in response.

He smirked and kissed her lips, “Alright,” he mumbled against them, “Later.”

“Later,” she agreed.

Oliver pulled back from her and started to shift. He was faster than she was, but she was still learning and practicing. She shifted, groaning and whining in pain. It was getting easier as time went on, but she wanted to get to where Oliver was. She wanted to shift with ease, with such smoothness that she didn’t realize her bones were snapping and her body was contorting. It would happen one day, but she wanted it to come faster.

Felicity stepped forward on four paws. She shook out her fur like a dog stepping out of water, ridding herself of the last tingle of change. Her eyes fluttered shut for just one moment. She released her hold on the wolf and allowed her to take the reins. She was still aware, but it was the wolf that ran, it was the wolf that made the decisions, and controlled her body.

Her eyes opened and she looked to Oliver. She could see his wolf looking back at her as well. He took off into the woods. Her large black wolf form immediately gave chase. She loved this part. Playing with Oliver, chasing, and teasing him as he did to her. She followed him through thickets and over rocks and roots. The entire area was pitch black, but she could see him perfectly and hear his chuffing laughter.

She growled and picked up the pace. Her wolf form was smaller than Oliver’s meaning that she could get faster and weave through the trees much easier. She caught up to him and nipped at his hind leg. He whipped around, growling playfully. She bent her head down, her hindquarters in the air, wiggling with excitement.

Felicity gave him a teasing huff as if to say, “Come and get it.”

She leapt backwards quickly, turning to run away from him this time. The thrill of the chase made her heart race. Playing with Oliver, running free, and being able to enjoy the moon’s rays without the diluting light of the city made her wolf so happy. She discovered that living peacefully with the wolf and attempting to keep it as happy as she could made her life much easier. It was a part of herself and she had to treat it as such. She was still trying to teach Oliver the same and he was doing much better, though it was a process.

Felicity could hear Oliver close behind her. She sped up, taking a quick right and going deeper into the forest. Further and further she went until she realized she had no idea where she was. She stopped in the middle of a clearing, glancing around. She could hear the sounds of the forest, the animals, and the wind in the trees. But where the hell was Oliver? Where the hell was she? She whined loudly and sniffed the air.

It was dumb to freak out. She knew this. All she had to do was sniff out and sense her mate. She followed his scent as soon as she caught it. Her other senses reached out to tug on the bond between them. After that it was easy to find him.

He growled at her as soon as he saw her. It wasn’t playful. He ran to her and bit down on her nose, chiding her the way a wolf would do to it’s pup. The wolf growled back at him, baring her teeth. He responded in the same way. Neither wanted to back down first. It was a dominance thing. Oliver had a higher ranking in the pack, but just slightly. She knew this, but she didn’t have to like it.

Felicity pulled back and gave him a huff. He straightened up and leaned in to lick her muzzle. Oliver followed it with a soft nuzzle. He had been scared when he couldn’t find her. She could feel it radiating off of him. He wasn’t angry with her, not really, but he wasn’t very good at expressing his feelings. All he knew to do was to scold her for scaring him. That was especially true for his wolf.

She bit his nose and huffed at him again.

His ears went back in an annoyed manner. He began to trot away from her, but stopped to nod at the ground, “Stay here,” he seemed to say.

She scowled and plopped down on the ground. The wolf was not amused with her mate. She watched him disappear into the forest. Laying there, she listened to everything around her. She could hear her brothers and sisters, watching them carefully, a pack of average timber wolves that lived in these parts. They wouldn’t bother them, no, they were simply curious. The wolf pack kept to themselves. There was no need to put their kind in danger when the humans already unjustly targeted them. The wolves knew that she and Oliver were different, bigger and more dangerous. They smelled both of human and of wolf.

She perked up when she heard Oliver coming back towards her. He held a dead rabbit in his mouth and dropped in in front of her. Nodding at it, he leaned down and shoved it closer to her. An apology. He was apologizing for freaking out. The sandy wolf sat down in front of her and waited for her to accept or reject the apology. Felicity felt weird about eating cute woodland creatures, but the wolf held no qualms. She leaned forward and took it into her mouth, taking a large bite.

He watched her contently as she tore into the little rabbit. She swallowed a few bites, but quickly stood. He looked at her, ears low in sadness. She picked up the rabbit and started towards him. Plopping the animal down in front of him, she nudged it towards him, wanting to share the tasty treat. He thumped his tail on the ground and took a bite. They shared the small animal, taking turns or playfully trying to tug the rabbit away from each other. The two ate it down to the bone and still gently gnawed on it.

She curled beside him as they shared the bones. He stopped before she did and nuzzled her neck. She dropped the leg bone she was working on and returned the sentiment. Her wolf licked his bloody muzzle and nipped him lovingly. He smiled and rested his forehead against hers. Their tails thumped rhythmically against the ground. She could have dozed there with him peacefully, but they had places to be the next day.

It was nice to be free and let the animal run wild, but it was time to come back to reality. Reluctantly, she stood and started off towards the porsche. Oliver was right behind her. They raced towards the car, but Felicity won. She happily trotted in front of the vehicle, teasing and taunting him.

He shifted and shook out his body, “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said in a gruff tone.

Felicity chuffed a laugh. She shifted next, stretching and groaning as she did. Standing, she gave a real giggle and flung herself into his arms. He caught her and held her tight. Her lips met his, but she couldn’t stop her giggles. Their teeth clacked against each other.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” he pressed her to the car.

She wrapped her legs around him, but leaned her head back to look into his yellow eyes. Her own golden pools looking back at him.

“You have to wait,” she tutted, reaching her hand up and bopping him gently on the nose.

He nipped at her finger playfully.

She giggled again.

Oliver grinned and leaned in to nuzzle her nose, “I can wait, but I won’t promise you’ll be getting any sleep tonight.”

“Hmmm… I think I can live with that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!
> 
> tumblr & twitter: felicityollies


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